


Zootopia: The Arctic Diamond

by shadowsdad129



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:00:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7350655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsdad129/pseuds/shadowsdad129
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six months have gone by since Nick Wilde joined the force. Crime was down since the Night Howler incident, and the relationship between predator and prey had never been better. But things quickly change when there is a rash of jewelry store burglaries in Tundra Town. Nick and Judy are sent to investigate, only to find that a few stolen diamonds are the least of their worries. They are quickly thrown into a case that involves the most dangerous and elusive gang in all of Zootopia: the Nocturne Knights. Their whole relationship is challenged, and they have much to lose. Will they crack this case wide open? Or will they find themselves biting off more than they can chew?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Case

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Fanfiction, so please bear with me. I really hope you enjoy it, I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 1: The new case  
-Told by Judy-  
It had been six months since Nick became a police officer, and the Night Howler case was behind us. Lessons were learned by predator and prey alike, and I couldn’t have been happier. I mean look at me, Judy Hopps, respected ZPD cop. And as for my partner and best friend Nick Wilde, he quit his life of hustling (for the most part) and joined the force. Life could not have been more perfect. Crime had gone down, and we at the ZPD had a little time to relax, that is until that dark and stormy day when things once again began to unravel the very fiber of Zootopia’s peaceful way of living.  
It began as most mornings, I arrived forty-five minutes before roll call to finish auditing my notes on our last case. Just some timber wolves throwing a howling party a little too late at night, disturbing the peace. Nothing too bad. I finished just in time to see everyone drag themselves into the room. I guess their get-up-and-go got-up-and-went.  
I hopped out of my seat and greeted everyone. “C’mon guys, we’re the proud members of the ZPD, show some pride!”  
Delgato rolled his eyes, his mane was a bit disheveled. “Hopps, must you be so nauseatingly chipper every morning? I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”  
“Aw you guys, you don’t need coffee. Just take a sip of that wonderful drink called justice!” I said gleefully.  
“Don’t make me gag…” said Delgato.  
So there I was, the only one happy to be there that morning. All of my fellow officers were down in the dumps. I looked around and noticed that Nick wasn’t here yet, he was running five, scratch that, six minutes late.  
“Where is that fox?” I whispered to myself. He was usually late by one to three minutes; I check the clock every morning when he creeps in. Every time he’s late, I lecture him, and he always says “Okay Carrots, I’ll be on time tomorrow.” Apparently for him, tomorrow is always a day away.  
Ooh he is gonna get an earful today. I thought to myself.  
“Okay, okay pipe down everyone!”  
I looked over at the podium and there was Nick standing on top of it with a pair of glasses that looked just like the Chief’s.  
“That’s right it’s me: Chief Buffalo-Butt.” he said in a remarkably accurate accent of Chief Bogo.  
“We’ve got a few items on the docket today. First off, crime is down today thanks to everyone’s hard work. Especially the work of the incredibly talented and extremely intelligent Nicolas Wilde and his adorable sidekick, Officer Carrots.” Nick pointed at me and winked.  
Everyone in the room began to snicker, but I wasn’t so amused. He was going to get us in trouble. Besides, I was certainly no sidekick.  
Nick puffed out his chest and had a serious look on his face “…But who cares? I sure don’t, because I have a major personality problem. In fact, my biggest role model is Simon Growl from Zootopia’s got talent. I sound just like him, don’t I? Well heck, what do you expect? I’m still trying to hide my ‘secret’ obsession with Gazelle from everyone, even though you can clearly see a poster of her right behind my filing cabinet and have every one of her songs memorized.”  
The room roared with laughter, which was better than everyone moping around.  
“Now, what’s next? I’m going to have to assign each of you a few more cases a week, because I’m just sooo busy with paperwork. I swear I’m not fawning with my Gazelle dancer app.”  
Everyone was laughing even harder, but they suddenly stopped. Chief Bogo had walked in the room, his eye was twitching with annoyance. He crept behind Nick while he was still talking.  
“You got a problem? I don’t care, if you make me mad I’ll just assign you to parking duty for all eternity and-“  
“Ahem.” Chief Bogo coughed, interrupting Nick’s performance.  
Nick gulped hard, turned around and looked up at Bogo. “H-hey sir, what’s going on?”  
“You’re the incredibly talented and extremely intelligent fox, you figure it out!”  
Nick cracked a nervous smile and took his glasses off. “I was just lightening up the room, sir.”  
“Well then you’ve done your job. Go sit down, Wilde.” said Chief Bogo, glaring at him.  
“Yes sir, Chief Buffalo buh… I mean Chief Bogo sir. Love your new gun holster sir, is it custom made?”  
“Sit…down.”  
Nick scurried off of the podium and jumped up to our chair. He patted my head and gave his signature sly grin. “Mornin’ Carrots.” he whispered.  
“You’re gonna get us in so much trouble.” I whispered back.  
“Nah, the Chief is a good guy. We’ll be fine.”  
“Quiet, everyone. I’ve got one major item to discuss with you this morning. Although crime has indeed gone down, it’s still out there. We’ve noticed a spike in criminal activity in Tundra Town, there have been multiple robberies in several jewelry stores and pawn shops all over the fringed streets of Tundra Town; From the shady Icepick St. to the ritzy Borealis Blvd.”  
He adjusted his glasses to look at the file more closely. “According to most eyewitness accounts, the culprits appear to be two male polar bears driving in a white limonene.”  
“Polar bears in white limo, huh?” Nick whispered to himself. I knew what he was thinking, it sounded awfully familiar, but it was hard to believe.  
“Wilde, Hopps!”  
We both looked up. “Yes, sir?”  
“You two will lead this investigation. Go to tundra Town and interrogate Mr. Big, he may very well have something to do with this.”  
I immediately contested. “With all due respect, Chief. Mr. Big and his whole crime syndicate have turned over a new leaf since the Night Howler incident. He’s opened an orphanage for lost and abandoned rodents, he’s started half a dozen charities, he’s even helping the mayor by funding the Mammal Inclusion Initiative. He’s a real sweetheart when you get to know him.”  
“Well this sweetheart was at one time the biggest crime boss in Tundra Town, all of Zootopia even. And old habits die hard.”  
“Excuse me sir?” said Nick. He had one eyebrow raised and his arms were crossed.  
“You have something to say, Wilde?”  
“Yes I do. I’m still not exactly on the best of terms with Mr. Big, but Carrots is right. He’s changed, and as long as the past is in the past, we shouldn’t go pointing fingers without having all of the facts.”  
“Don’t be naïve, Wilde. Think like a cop, it’ll do you some good. This shrew was so deep into crime, if he was any deeper he’d be poking his head out in China. Now I understand the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’, but Mr. Big is looking more and more suspicious. You’re all dismissed, and I don’t want to hear another word until after you’ve gone to talk to him.”

Nick and I were walking to the car. It was raining even harder now and he was gripping his umbrella incredibly tight. He had an intense look on his face like he was deep in thought. He was uncharacteristically quiet. We got into the car and he slammed the door.  
He looked over at me “Ya know what? I don’t think things have changed that much since the Night Howler incident.”  
“What do you mean?” I asked.  
He took a deep breath. “Oh it’s nothing. Let’s go pay good ol’ Mr. Big a visit. And hey you can see your goddaughter while we’re there.” He said, trying to change the subject.  
I feigned a smile. “Okay, let’s go.” I was a little worried about him. He came a long way, but I know he still had some insecurities about himself that he never let surface, even with me. But I knew him, and I knew he never liked to show when things got to him. And I could tell that what the Chief said got under his skin.  
So off we went to Tundra Town, to visit an old friend of ours. Little did I know that things were about to get wild once again in Zootopia.


	2. Mr. Big's Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Judy head over to Mr. Big's manor to ask him if he knows anything about the diamond thefts occurring in Tundra Town. What he tells them makes Nick realize that things may be getting a little more complicated than it first appeared. Judy, on the other hand, is more than willing to confront the problem head on.

Chapter 2: Mr. Big’s request  
-Told by Nick-  
The drive to Tundra Town was quiet, I wasn’t really in the mood to talk and I could tell that Carrots knew something was up. She was silently reading a magazine, occasionally glancing up at me with her big, bright eyes and her nose twitching with concern. So I broke the silence to make her quit killing me with concern.  
“What’cha reading there, Carrots?”  
“Hmm? Oh I’m reading about a tribe of red foxes in Russia.”  
“You’re reading about red foxes? You wanna know more about me, is that it? How cute.”  
She slammed her book closed. “N-no of course not, and don’t call me cute! It just so happens that these Russian red foxes are not run of the mill.”  
“Neither am I, Fluff.”  
“I know you’re not Nick, I’m not talking about character or ability, I’m talking about genetics. Many of them are showing some interesting genetic variation.”  
“You mean they’re sprouting wings or something?”  
“No, I mean that some of the red foxes aren’t red at all. Some of them are brown, or black, some are even all white. There are some with stubby ears, long ears, droopy ears, It’s all really interesting.”  
“What I find interesting is how in the world any red fox would want to live that far north. It’s cold up there all the time. I don’t even like Tundra Town all that much.”  
She looked up at me, her frown flipped upside down. She playfully hit me which, between you and me, was deceptively strong.  
“Didn’t you used to come up here all the time for your pawpsickle operation?”  
“That was business, my dear bunny. I had to come up here. You’d never find me up here for pleasure. I don’t so much like the freezing cold.”  
“Oh Nick, where in Zootopia do you like? Savannah Square is too hot, Tundra Town is too cold, the Rainforest District is too wet.”  
“I like downtown, that’s my kind of place.”  
“I thought foxes were supposed to be able to adapt to most environments?”  
“I adapt just fine, thank you! I just know where I’m most comfortable.”  
she laughed. “If you say so.” She looked out of the frosted window. We were getting close to Mr. Big’s estate.  
I turned up the street and we approached the front gate. I rolled down my window and saw that they had just installed a new intercom.  
“Look at that, Carrots! They put in an intercom…watch this.” Ihit the button on the intercom. There was a brief moment of silence.  
“What do you want?” said the rather irritated voice coming from the intercom.  
“Yeah, I’ll have the number five special with a large Claw-co-cola and my friend here would like the widdle bunny kids meal with a small carrot juice.”  
“Ugh, it’s the fox…” said the voice on the intercom.  
“Is that you, Raymond? Don’t sound too excited to see me, you might just pass out.”  
“Why are you here Wilde?” asked Raymond.  
“We need to speak to your boss real quick, so if you could just buzz us on in that would be great.”  
“The boss got nothin’ to say to you, Wilde.”  
A high-pitched squeaky voice came on the intercom “Wait, Nicky’s here? Is Juuudy with him?”  
“This don’t concern you, Fru Fru.” said Raymond.  
“Oh shut up and move. Juuudy, are you there with Nicky?” Her voice rang loudly in my ear.  
Carrots unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped onto my lap a little too hard.  
“Watch where you’re leaping, Carrots! Geez.”  
“Oops, sorry.” she said. She immediately directed her attention back onto the intercom. “Hey Fru Fru, what’s up?”  
Fru Fru squealed with delight. “Oooh I’m good Juuudy, I’m just trying to get your goddaughter to try these adorable leopard-print jeggings I got for her. Oh my gosh, when I saw they had them for babies I about died. Well not literally, there was no giant donut this time.” she giggled uncontrollably.  
“I really wish someone would drop a giant donut on my head right about now…” I muttered.  
Carrots elbowed my side.  
“Oof, what?” I said.  
“Hush. Anyway, Fru Fru. Nick and I came to see your father to ask him a few questions. But I also had to come to see my goddaughter. Could you let us in?”  
“Sure thing, doll. Hey Ray, let them in.”  
“I should probably ask the boss first-“  
There was a crunching sound. “Ouch, did you just bite me?”  
“Let them in, Or I’ll bite harder!”  
There was another moment of silence, then we were buzzed in and the gate opened.  
Carrots hopped back to her seat “Okay, let’s go.”  
“Woah woah woah there, officer Fluff. I’m not moving this car until you buckle your seat belt, don’t wanna break your goody-two-shoes routine do ya?”  
“Is that sarcasm? Don’t make me tase you.”  
“I don’t hear that seatbelt clicking.”  
She grunted and put her seatbelt on. I rolled up my window and drove up the driveway to Mr. Big’s manor. I parked and we got out.  
Carrots turned around and got a disgusted look on her face. “Wow, your parking job is awful.” she folded her arms and gave me a judgmental glare.  
“Eh, it’s good enough. Now let’s get this over with.” I walked up the steps to his house, and something cold and wet hit me in the back of the head. I turned around and Carrots was right behind me, throwing snowballs at me. One hit me right in the face.  
I wiped my face off “What are we, six?”  
“Just getting in some target practice.” she threw another one at me and it missed.  
“First off, you still throw like a bunny.” I said as I picked up a wad of snow and made a giant snowball.  
“Wait, I call timeout!” she said.  
“There’s no time out, this means war Carrots!” I said as I chucked the snowball at her. It hit her in the face, right on target.  
She wiped her face off.  
“Hey Santa Paws, what’re you doing here? It’s not even Christmas.” I said as I snapped a picture of her. I showed it to her, she missed a spot on her face and it looked like a beard. I couldn’t keep in the laughter any longer. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s just your face was so funny I couldn’t help but la-“ she tackled me and we both fell off of the porch and landed in a huge pile of snow.  
Hopps was on top of me, she grabbed a huge wad of snow and dumped it on my head. “Do you give up?”  
I shook the snow off. “Never!” I gently pushed her off of me and I piled the snow onto her.  
“Do you give up, Carrots?” I dug through the snow to get her out, but I couldn’t find her. “Carrots?” I dug deeper. “Carrots?” I began to panic. “Hopps, where are you?”  
“Right here.” she said as she lunged out of the snow. We rolled down the hill and hit a pine tree.  
“I got ya, you got out foxed by a bunny!” she exclaimed.  
“Oh it’s on now.” I said.  
We both heard a rumble coming from above us. We looked up and to our terror every bit of snow that was on the pine tree came crashing down on us.  
We both shot up from the pile of snow, shivering. We looked at each other and started laughing.  
“I guess we’ll call this a draw for now.” she said.  
“But I was just about to get you good, rabbit.”  
“How about a temporary truce?” she stuck out her hand for a handshake. “We are on the job, after all.”  
“Fine, temporary truce. But I’ll get my revenge, Carrots.” I shook her hand.  
She looked at me with a devilish smile. “Woops, had my fingers crossed.” She pushed me back down into the snow and ran up towards the house.  
“Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…” I said as I gathered as much snow as I could and ran after her. She made it to the front porch of the manor and stopped.  
“Aha, now I got you!” I said as I threw the snow at her. She ducked and it all hit Raymond as he opened the front door.  
“Oops. Sorry, Raymond.”  
“The boss will see you now.” he said, obviously annoyed.  
“Great.” I said as I looked at my bunny nemesis. She was grinning ear to ear.  
As we walked in, I took the little bit of snow I had left over and poured it down her back.  
She hopped all over the foyer trying to get the snow out of her uniform. “Cold, cold that’s cold!”  
“That’ll teach you to mess with me, Carrots.” I said, feeling victorious.  
“You sly fox.” she said as she was about to come in for an attack. She was stopped by Raymond who cleared his throat to get our attention.  
“The boss is in the meeting room.”  
The two of us followed him quietly, trying not to laugh. We walked through the door and saw Mr. Big on the desk table along with Fru Fru and little baby Judy.  
Mr. Big sat up in his chair. “Judy, my child. How are you?” he said in that annoying squeaky voice we all know and love.  
He held out his arms and Carrots leaned in, and he kissed her cheeks.  
“I’m good Mr. Big, how are you?”  
“Oh I can’t complain, I have my daughter and my granddaughter to keep me company.”  
“Yeah, we’re staying here while my little maggot muffin is off on business.” said Fru Fru.  
Is that really a pet name? Ew, talk about gross. I thought to myself.  
Mr. Big looked over at me. “Oh, I see you brought the fox.”  
“Nice to see you, Mr. Big sir. How are you holding up?”  
“I’d be better if I didn’t remember that my poor Grandmama was buried in that skunk-butt rug every time I look at that ugly mug of yours.”  
“Sorry about that...” I said for the five-thousandth time. I mean come on, it’s not like grammy knows the rug was made out of a skunk’s butt.  
“Me too, Nicky, me too. Anyway, what brings you all the way up here?”  
Carrots hopped up on the table. “Well, you may want to sit down sir. We need to discuss something serious.”  
“I am sitting.” he said.  
“Right then. Anyway, have you heard about the rash of jewelry store thefts in the area?”  
“Yes, I have.”  
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”  
“Child, do you think that I had something to do with it?” asked Mr. Big.  
“Juuudy, Daddy and the guys have all turned their lives around. They’re all nothin but do-gooders.” insisted Fru Fru.  
“Don’t worry, we don’t think that you guys had anything to do with it. Nick and I defended your honor when the chief suspected you.”  
Mr. Big looked over at me. “You defended me, Nicky?”  
“Yes, of course I did. I may not be your favorite person but I know you’ve changed, and I hate it when people wrongfully profile someone because of what animal they are and what they did in the past when they’ve clearly changed.”  
He raised his bushy little eyebrow at me. “I guess you’re not as much of a spineless jerk after all. Thank you for defending me and my boys Nicky, and you too Judy.”  
I clenched my jaw. “Any time…worm breath.” I whispered.  
“What was that, fox?” he said.  
“N-nothing sir.”  
He scratched his head. “So what made your chief think that I had anything to do with these burglaries? I’ll let you know I own half of the jewelry stores that were hit.”  
“Well, many of the witnesses said that they saw two polar bears in a white limo at each of the crime scenes.”  
“Well none of my boys would ever stoop so low as to steal, especially from me. I pride myself in having a loyal crew. I’ll tell ya, I think this is a frame job.”  
Carrots’ ears perked up. “What makes you think that, sir?”  
“It just so happens that one of my limousines was stolen about a week ago, and someone has tampered with the GPS system so we can’t track it. And I have a pretty good idea who it is.”  
“Who?” she asked.  
“I’ve recently gotten threats from the Nocturne Knights, they’ve been angry at me for taking the highroad and helping the coppers.”  
“What!?” I yelled, my ears immediately started to twitch. “The Nocturne Knights, are you sure?”  
Hopps was confused. “Who are the Nocturne Knights?”  
“They’re only the single most dangerous gang in all of Zootopia-“  
“Excuse me?” said Mr. Big.  
“…now that you’re no longer living a life of crime, obviously.”  
“So they threatened you? Where are they now, sir?” Carrots sounded much more excited than she should have been.  
Mr. Big lowered his head. “Oh child, I can’t let you go against the likes of them. They have absolutely no respect for life, they would tear you and the fox apart.”  
“Mr. Big, I promise you that Nick and I are more than capable, and we will bring this gang to justice.”  
“Carrots, I don’t think just the two of us will cut it this time.”  
“Wilde has a point. This is not just some street gang. They are a highly organized group, with three vicious Underbosses and a secretive and extremely feared leader.”  
“If they’re so bad, why haven’t I heard of them? I’ve never heard anyone at the ZPD talk about them.”  
I turned her around and looked her in the eyes. “Hopps, listen to me. These guys are big time, but they’re only known among certain groups.”  
“What do you mean?” she asked, her intrigue turned into worry.  
“It’s the predators, child.” said Mr. Big. “Not all predators, only those who have ever done business on the Nocturnal Strip.”  
“The what?”  
“The Nocturnal Strip. It’s a part of Zootopia that lies underground. Most of it looks like a ritzy and extravagant strip of casinos, clubs and theaters. But in truth it is full of corruption and treachery. No cop will go down there, the Nocturne Knights run the entire strip.”  
She looked at me, her nose was twitching again. “How do you know about this, Nick?”  
I took a deep breath, I really never wanted to tell her about my past indiscretions. “I may have done a few…business transactions down there before. It’s a part of my life I’m really not proud of, Carrots. I don’t like talking about it. But trust me, the Nocturnal Strip is not a place for a rabbit, especially not one that’s a cop.”  
“Well we have to do something. Mr. Big, sir. Please tell us what you know.”  
Mr. Big sighed. “If you’re sure about this. I have an informant who lives down on the strip. He used to be the forth Underboss of the Nocturne Knights, but had a change of heart when they betrayed him. After one of my boys saved him from being iced by the gang, he became one of my most trusted friends. He’s a wolf named Shadow, he told me that there is a performer at the Arendelle Casino that has some information about them that may ruin the whole gang. She wants out of the Nocturnal Strip scene for good. She’s an arctic fox that goes by the name of Aurora Foxtrot.”  
“Aurora Foxtrot? As in Madame Shade Foxtrot’s granddaughter?” said Carrots.  
“One and the same.”  
“What is the granddaughter of one of Zootopia’s wealthiest women doing down there?” I asked.  
“Shadow told me that the gang is forcing her to perform at the casino. They are threatening her grandmother. That poor woman is blind and frail, and they are using her to manipulate her granddaughter. It’s despicable.”  
Judy tapped her foot on the desk. “Nick and I will take care of it. We’ll take Aurora into protective custody. You can trust us, sir. Right Nick?”  
“Sure thing. But seriously, We’re gonna need the entire force for something like this.”  
“No, Fox. That would be a bad idea. As soon as they get wind of a police crackdown they will get rid of every trace of evidence, including the young Ms. Foxtrot. I know them, they’re good at being bad.”  
Carrots looked at me. “What are we going to do, Nick?”  
I thought for a moment. “We could…go undercover.”  
“How? You and I are too well known in Zootopia to go undercover. We’ll be too easily recognized.”  
“Not down there. Most of them don’t even go topside, and those that do certainly don’t pay attention to the news unless it has to do with them. The only ones who would recognize us are the higher-ups, and they’re never out and about. And we’ll be disguised. We’ll be in and out without being seen. It’ll be perfect.”  
“But you said it’s no place for a rabbit.”  
I grinned at her. “It can be if you’re with a dashing high-roller fox.”  
She frowned, and one ear flopped over her face. “What?”  
“Yeah, I’ll be a high-stakes gambling fox and you can be my good luck charm.”  
She folded her arms. “Did you just make a lucky rabbit’s foot joke? Not funny, Nick.”  
“No, you’re my good luck charm, Carrots. I feel like I’m the luckiest fox alive when I’m with you.”  
Fru Fru put her paw on her mouth “Aww, that’s so sweet.”  
“And also a load of garbage.” said Hopps. “But I’ll do it.”  
“The Nocturne Knights need put down. Take care of them and clear my name. But promise me you’ll be careful.” said Mr. Big.  
“You got it, sir. We’ve got to go now.”  
“Wait Juuudy.” Said Fru Fru.  
“What is it?”  
“Won’t you at least say bye bye to your goddaughter?”  
She smiled and bent down and gently kissed the tiny little shrew.  
“Bye, little Judy. I’ll so you soon. Let’s go Nick.” said Carrots, her demeanor changed from scared to that confident rabbit I know and love.  
I began to follow her out.  
“Wait, Nicky!” Fru Fru yelled.  
I turned around. “Yeah?”  
“Were you serious about Juuudy being your lucky charm?”  
I smiled and looked at the door to make sure she wasn’t there. “Yes, she is my lucky charm. I’m one lucky fox to have her as a partner, and a friend.”  
“Aww, look at Nicky blushing daddy!”  
I quickly looked away from them. “I am not, it’s the lighting in here.”  
“Take good care of her, Nicky. She’s a special girl.” said Mr. Big.  
“I will, sir. That’s a promise.” I said.  
I walked outside, she was already in the car. She honked for me to get it. It looked like she was driving this time. I walked over to the passenger’s side and got in.  
“Ready to go, Nick? We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”  
“Yeah, let’s get outta here.” I said as I slinked back into the seat.  
“Put your seat belt on.” she insisted.  
“Yeah, yeah. Goody-two-shoes.” I slipped the seat belt on and looked over at her. I sighed and thought to myself: I really am a lucky fox.


	3. Undercover Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Nick and Judy's first time going undercover, and that has Judy leaping for joy...until Nick says she has to wear a dress. Judy doesn't so much like wearing dresses as much as she likes looking at them.

Chapter 3: Undercover shopping  
-Told by Judy-  
“Okay Carrots, if we’re gonna go undercover, you’re gonna have to dress the part.” Nick said as I dropped him off at his apartment.  
“Alright, I guess I’ll look through my closet to see what I can find.”   
He looked at me judgmentally. “You’re going to look through your closet?”  
“Yeah, what’s wrong with my closet?”  
“Oh nothing, except it looks like you got all of your clothes from Once Upon a Kitten.”   
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, folding my arms.   
“It means that your outfits are seven kinds of happy happy joy joy. Too colorful for the Nocturnal Strip. You gotta think dark colors, if not you’re going to stick out like a platypus at a beaver convention.”  
“Not all of my outfits are colorful.”  
“Carrots, the only outfit I’ve ever seen you wear that isn’t nauseatingly bright and cheery is your uniform. Hey there’s an idea, you should wear your police uniform while we’re down there. That won’t get us killed or anything.”  
“I guess I could go pick up something to wear for the occasion.”  
“Great, make sure you get something nice. We’re going to Arendelle Casino, that’s the fanciest casino on the strip. So don’t go wearing a t-shirt and jeans. I’d get a dress, one that compliments your bunny figure.” he poked my belly and grinned.   
I slapped his hand away. “You want me to get a dress? I hate wearing dresses.”  
“Carrots, it’s not like I made up the rules about going undercover. You’re just going to have to get over it. Besides, You’d look cute in a dress.”   
“You just want to see me suffer don’t you? And don’t call me cute.”   
He playfully stroked my ears. “C’mon, Hopps. It’s not like I love wearing a tuxedo. It is what it is.”  
I sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it.”  
“That’s a good sport. Well, would you look at the time? I’m gonna hit the hay, it’s gonna be a long day tomorrow. See ya Carrots, make sure you rest up.”   
He got out of the car and up to his apartment. He turned around and waved obnoxiously. I couldn’t help but smile. That dumb fox had a way of doing that. No matter how aggravated he made me he would always do something that made me smile. But the fact remained that I did not like to wear dresses.   
I got home and went to bed. I couldn’t sleep because of the excitement of this new case. My mind started racing. This could be another big one. It involves a gang that controls an entire area of Zootopia, who has the granddaughter of one of the wealthiest women in the city against her will, and they are threatening Mr. Big of all people. How presumptuous were these guys? And just how dangerous are they they if I’ve never heard of them? But must be pretty bad for Nick and Mr. Big to be scared of them. What’s worse is we couldn’t involve the rest of the ZPD because it may cause the Nocturne Knights to do something drastic and we may take some serious collateral damage. I don’t know what to expect, I need to be prepared for anything. 

I woke up the next morning with a text from Nick.   
Don’t be mad, I turned your alarm off so that you could get some sleep, we’re probably gonna have a long night tonight. I told Chief Buffalo-butt that you were out sick this am. Go to Bunningdales to get that dress Cutie. ;P  
I sighed angrily and texted back.  
Stop calling me cute >:(…and do you know how much money Bunningdales is? I think I’m just going to go to the thrift store.  
He messaged back seconds later.   
Don’t go to the thrift store, go to Bunningdales. Don’t worry about money, I got you Carrots. I asked Mr. Big to transfer some money into your account and I’ll pay him back later. You’re welcome, I’ll be over at 7 tonight. I’ll take care of everything else. See you tonight Cutie :D  
I really tried to be mad, but I couldn’t be. I was too psyched about the case, I was going undercover for the first time with my best friend. But I figured I would let him think I was mad. So I sent the infamous K reply. That oughta make him sweat! I thought to myself.  
I rolled out of bed and got ready for the day. I guess I was heading to Bunningdales. On my walk there, I checked my bank statement to see how much Mr. Big transferred. When I looked at the amount, I freaked.   
“six-thousand dollars!?” I yelled as I was standing in the middle of Downtown Zootopia. That’s right, Mr. Big had loaned me six-thousand dollars! How much did he think I was going to spend on a stupid dress? I mean Bunningdales is expensive, but not that expensive!  
I arrived at Bunningdales and walked to the back of the store, to the clearance isle. Just because I had to get something here didn’t mean that I couldn’t find a good deal. There were dozens of dresses on sale, and they didn’t look that bad. There was a nice blue dress for two-hundred. I went to pick it out, but I got a call from Nick.   
“Hello?” I answered.  
“Hey, Carrots! You at Bunningdales yet?”  
“Yes.”  
“Good, good. You’re not back in the clearance isle are you?”  
I looked around to see if he was following me. “N-no of course not, why would I be in the clearance isle?”   
“Have you met yourself?”  
“Well I’ll have you know that I’m in the super stylish section, and I’m picking out the nicest dress they have here.” I insisted, putting the blue dress away.   
“There’s no such thing as the ‘super stylish section’.”  
“How do you know? Do you spend a lot of time at Bunningdales?”   
“You’d be surprised, Carrots. Hurry and get that dress, I’ve already got my tux picked out and tailored.”  
“Okay, I’m going. I have the dress right now, I’m going to go try it on.”  
“Alrighty, see you soon.”  
I hung up and took the stairs to the Gazelle platinum-label section. There were so many beautiful dresses to choose from. I looked through the ones in my size. It was a good thing this was a store specifically tailored to bunnies. I saw a nice pink dress with a cute carrot patch sewed onto it. I almost picked it out but Nick’s voice rang in my head.   
Nothing too cutesy and joyful, Carrots. You need something fancy and dangerous!  
I continued my search. I had to tell myself this was just part of the job. I looked over at a mannequin on a pedestal with a gorgeous black shining dress. It looked like the outfit a female spy in a 1950s crime movie, very femme fatale. If I had to wear a dress, this was the one. I asked the associate to let me try it on and it fit like a glove! It rung out at 1500 big ones, which left me with 4500 to safely return to Mr. Big…or buy a new Preyda purse to match the dress. Well I had to pay the part, right? And I would still have about 2500 to send back to Mr. Big.   
I got home and got ready for our undercover mission. I hid my police supplies in my new purse and dolled myself up. I was just doing some last-minute preparations when there was a knock at the door.   
“Carrots, open up, let me see how tacky your dress is!” said Nick on the other side of the door.   
“It’s not a tacky dress!” I yelled back.   
“Well you’re the one that picked it out. Let me guess, pink dress with carrot patch sewn in?”   
I marched to the door and opened it. “No, of course not.”  
I must have startled him, because he dropped a long, black bag that he was holding. He didn’t say anything, he just stared at me. There was an awkward silence.   
“What, Is it that bad?” I asked.  
“N-no, it’s just you look very-“  
“If you say cute, I’m going to drop kick you.”  
he looked down at the floor. “…pretty.”   
I felt my ears getting hot. “I-uh, thank you.” I looked at what he was wearing, he was still in his police uniform. “Where is that tuxedo you said you were wearing?”   
He was still looking at me with a goofy look plastered across his face. “I…I didn’t want to wrinkle it so I kept it in this. I’m gonna go change, can I use your bathroom?” he picked up the bag that he dropped.   
“Sure.” I said.   
He walked in and headed towards the bathroom. “Ya know, it’s a good thing that you decided to move somewhere where you get your own bathroom.”  
“Well now I can afford my own bathroom.”   
“Yup, you really moved up in the world Carrots!” he said as he closed the bathroom door.   
I waited outside of the bathroom for quite a while. “You alive in there?” I asked.   
“Yeah, I’m just having some trouble with this bowtie. I’m used to regular ties but this is really annoying.”  
“Here.” I said, knocking on the door. “Let me help.”  
He opened the door. “What, are you some kind of bowtie expert?”   
I looked up at him, he looked very handsome in a tux.   
“Carrots?” he asked. He waved his paw in front of my face.   
“What?”   
“You okay? You kind of spaced out there.”  
“Yeah, I was just…deciding which technique to use.”  
He patted my head. “So you are a bowtie expert? How did you come to acquire that skill set?”   
I yanked the bowtie out of his grip and told him to kneel down. “I have a hundred and fifteen brothers, and half of them needed help with their bowties every Sunday morning for church.”  
“Was it an all bunny church?”   
“No, but most of us were.”  
He clapped his hands. “Then you must have had some real hoppin’ services!” he couldn’t contain his laughter.   
“Real funny, fox!” I said as I tightened his bowtie.  
“Woah bunny, are you trying to suffocate me?”   
I batted my eyes. “Oops, sorry.”  
He got up and looked in the mirror. “Oh yeah I look real sharp!”  
I walked up next to him and looked in the mirror. He put his arm around me.   
“I think we can really pull this off, Carrots.” he said.   
“Me too.” I said, looking at his intense green eyes. 

We walked out of my apartment complex and, to my surprise, there was a limousine waiting for us. Nick opened the door and gestured for me to get in. “My lady, your chariot awaits.”   
I hopped in and sat down. It was one of Mr. Big’s limos. I could tell by the glasses with the fancy “B” on them.   
I was a bundle of nerves, I took a deep breath. Judy, why do you feel so nervous? It’s not because of the case, you’ve faced danger before. Man, it feels like I’m on my way to prom or something. Dressing up, limos, being with the guy that I-woah Judy, snap out of it!   
I jumped at the car door slamming.   
“You alright, Hopps?” asked Nick.  
“Sure, just preparing myself for this case.” I said, avoiding eye contact.  
“We’ll be fine, we always are.”  
“You’re right, guess I need to lighten up.”  
“Boy that’s the truth, can I quote you on that?” he joked.   
“Harhar, you’re so funny!”  
“I think so.” he said.   
He snapped his finger. “Excuse me, chauffeur. Can we get a move on?” he said to the driver.   
The giant polar bear turned around and glared at him.   
“I mean, Ray ol’ buddy? Could you please take us to the Nocturnal Strip?”   
Raymond grunted. “Shut it, fox.” he said as he rolled up the privacy window.   
“I guess he’s not in a talkative mood.” said Nick.   
“So how do we even get to the Nocturnal Strip?” I asked.   
“Don’t worry your cute little head, Carrots. You’ll see soon enough.”   
I punched his arm. “Don’t call me cute!”


	4. The Nocturnal Strip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Judy arrive at the Nocturnal Strip, which brings back some unwelcome memories back into Nick's mind. The strip reminds him of the fox everyone saw him as before he met Judy, just a shifty, sly fox with no moral compass. But with his best friend and partner by his side, he can bear looking down the sketchy corners of his past, and look forward to a brighter future.

Chapter 4: The Nocturnal Strip  
-Told by Nick-  
“Are you sure we’re not lost?” asked Hopps as we were driving through a seemingly deserted section of Sahara Square.   
“C’mon Carrots, Ray isn’t that dumb. We’re on the right track.”  
“But we are going down Muerto Canyon Road, it’s a dead end. There’s nothing there but an old condemned mine shaft.”  
“Looks can be deceiving, just sit back and enjoy the view.”  
She looked out the window. “What view? There’s sand, and the occasional rock formation.”   
I looked at her, she looked beautiful. “Yeah? Well the view is perfect from where I’m sitting, you look stunning in that dress.” I said.   
She turned around. “Stop teasing me about the dress.” she was fidgeting with the hem of the dress, I could tell she felt insecure about wearing it.   
“Fine, I’ll stop. But in all seriousness, you look just fine.” I did couldn’t tell her that I wasn’t teasing her at all. She really did look stunning.   
We reached the old mine shaft at the end of the road. The limo screeched to a halt. We waited there for several minutes.   
“What are we waiting for?” Hopps asked nervously.   
Two sand cats came out of the mine entrance and walked up to the limo. One of them was carrying a step ladder and the other was carrying a crowbar.   
“Aww, look how tiny they are!” squealed Carrots.   
“Don’t be fooled by their adorable faces, Fluff. These sand cats are vicious, think of Finnick but twenty times worse. Better let me do the talking.”   
One of the sand cats placed the step ladder down and climbed up it. He knocked on the door. I rolled down the window. “Good evening my fine gentlemen.” I said.  
“What business do you have here, fox? And what’s that bunny doing with you?” he asked in a very deep voice.   
“We’re here from Los Bangales, we heard there were some great casinos down on the strip and I thought I’d try my hand while we’re in Zootopia. I never lose with my lucky rabbit here.”   
“You know the password?”   
“Long live the Knights of Nocturne.” I said, hoping that they didn’t change the password since the last time I had been down there.   
The sand cat glared at me, then at Hopps. “Okay, you check out. Enjoy the Strip.” the sand cat hopped off of the step ladder and he and his partner walked back to the entrance of the mine. The one with the crowbar hit a button and the ground right in front of the mine opened up, and a large automobile elevator emerged from the depths of the hole.   
Hopps was amazed at the sight of the large elevator appearing out of the darkness below. “Sweet cheese and crackers, did you see that Nick?”   
“If you’re amazed by that, then you’re really in for it when we go under.” I said.   
The sand cats appeared on either side of the elevator, they motioned for Raymond to drive forward. He put the car in drive and slowly moved his way onto the elevator.   
“That’s good!” one of the sand cats yelled.   
Raymond put the limo in park and we started to go down.   
Judy was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement.   
“Carrots, play it cool. We’re not going to Disneyworld. We’re undercover, remember? And this place is dangerous. So get all of your quirky bunny habits under control.”  
“I’m sorry, it’s just this is our first undercover mission together. And I’ve never been to the Nocturnal Strip before. Heck, I’ve never even heard of it until last night. So what’s it like?”  
I sighed as I looked out of the window, we were going deeper and deeper. You could just barely hear the music, the commotion, and the hustle and bustle of the strip. “You’ll see soon enough.”  
“You don’t seem too excited about this.”  
“I really didn’t love the idea of going back down there.”  
She stopped bouncing around her seat and crawled closer to me. “So what happened to you down ther anyway?” she asked with that murderous tone of concern in her voice.   
“It’s just… the neon lights and glamor does a really good job at hiding the filthy corruption that has a firm grip on the poor animals who live on the strip. And the sad truth is that part of me never left, Carrots. This is where I learned how to hustle, after all.”  
“It is?”   
“Yeah, but I’ll spare you the sob story and just tell you that the faster we can get out of here the better.”  
She leaned in closer and gently placed her hand on my arm. “You can tell me, c’mon Nick. I’m your partner, and more importantly I’m your friend.”  
“So you’re using guilt to get the story outta me?” I asked, smiling at her.  
“Nick, I’m serious. I’m here for you, please tell me.”  
“Fine…” I took another deep breath. “Do you remember the little muzzle incident that happened when I was a kid I told you about?”  
She nodded.   
“It really opened my eyes about how I was viewed by your average citizen in Zootopia. I guess I never really paid attention to the snide comments they would make whenever my mom and I would walk down the street to get ice cream or through the park. You know, one time at school, I even overheard my teacher say ‘I have that fox in my class. I would take any other animal over him. You do know why foxes are red, don’t you? Because they’re made by the devil’. Most prey parents wouldn’t let me play with their kids, even some predator parents got extra nervous when ‘that no good little fox’ tried to play with their kids. I was so upset at the world that I fell into the wrong crowd.”   
I stopped, hoping that she had heard enough. Hopps tightened her grip on my arm. “Go on.”  
“These kids were a grade or two higher than I was. One of them was a skunk named Cain Toxocara, and his father was a member of the Nocturne Knights. He brought me down to the strip one day and that’s when I began my petty life of crime. I learned everything I know from my years hanging with Cain and his friends. It about broke my mom’s heart. She told me before she passed away to become more than what the world views me as. I guess I disappointed her, huh?”   
Judy put her head on my shoulder. “Oh Nick, you’ve come way above what they saw you as. You are brave, loyal, helpful and trustworthy.” she started to tear up.  
I lightly pushed her off of my shoulder and placed her down on the seat next to me. “You bunnies really are emotional. Pull it together, Carrots. We’re undercover, toughen up!” I said, trying to hold back the tears myself.   
“I’m glad you told me, Nick.”  
“Well you know me, I’m an open book.”  
I could hear Raymond sniffle up in the driver’s seat, he had cracked the privacy window. “I’m sorry, Fox. I didn’t know you had it that bad as a kid.” he blubbered.   
“And apparently you polar bears are also mega emotional, and love to eavesdrop.” I said. I rolled the privacy window back up.  
We started slowing down.   
“We’re almost there, get your game face on.” I said.   
She nodded and composed herself.   
The elevator came to a halt, and the wall in front of us opened up to reveal the deceptively dangerous Nocturnal Strip. We drove forward, the wall closed behind us and the elevator disappeared. We were driving down the strip, and Hopps was leaping back and forth to see all of the sights.   
“Wow, look at that Nick! And that! And that!”   
“I see it, Carrots. I’ve been down here, remember?” And truthfully, hardly anything had changed at all. There were lowlifes in the alleyways, preying on naïve rich animals who think that they can outsmart the street hustlers. There were animals walking up and down both sides of the street. Most rich, some poor, all trapped by the allure of this neon-laden cage.   
We reached the parking garage at the very back of the strip and Raymond parked on the very top. I opened the door and let Carrots hop out.  
“This is so exciting!” she yelled. Her voice echoed across the garage.   
“Shhh.” I whispered.   
“Woops, sorry.”   
Raymond rolled down his window down. “Fox! I mean, Wilde. I mean, Nicky.”  
I looked up at him. “What do you want, Ray?”   
“Sorry about all them times I was a jerk to you.”   
“It’s okay big guy.”  
“I’ll be waiting here for you’s two to come back with that fox chick.”  
Hopps winked at Raymond. “You’re the best, Ray. Thanks for doing this for us.”  
He smiled and rolled the window back up.   
We walked down to the main floor of the garage, but we were stopped by a shadowy figure in the corner.   
“Wait you two, come over here.” said the shadowy figure.   
“Umm, no. We’re not in the mood to get robbed or murdered today, thank you.” I said and I motioned for Hopps to walk faster.   
“I know you two are here because of Mr. Big.” he said.   
Carrots turned around and walked towards him.  
“Great idea Hopps, just walk towards the complete stranger in a dark parking garage just because he wants you to.” I said as I ran after her.   
“Who are you?” she asked.   
He came out of the shadows, it was a wolf. He was wearing a trench coat and a black fedora. He had two different colored eyes, one blue and one brown.  
“I’m Shadow, Mr. Big’s informant. I told him I’d meet you two here.”  
“Your Shadow? You used to be one of the Nocturne Knight’s underbosses, right?” asked Hopps.  
“Yeah, but they turned on me after I refused to off this nice otter florist. What was his name again? Otterson, no that’s not it…”  
“Otterton?”   
“That’s it, Bunbun! I was told he knew too much about something and he needed taken care of. But I couldn’t do it. The otter had a wife and kids, and I was sick of the crime life.”  
Hopps’ ears shot straight up. “Wait, they wanted you to get rid of Emmet Otterton, the florist?”   
“Yeah, they said something about night crawlers. No that’s not it.”   
How stupid could this wolf be? I thought to myself.   
“Night howlers?” I blurted out.  
“No thanks, Red. I got my howling fix last night.”  
I started to get a headache from his stupidity. “No, that’s what it was. Night howlers, it’s a flower that makes animals go straight up coocoo.”  
“Yeah, that’s what it was!” he said excitedly.   
“Nick.” said Hopps as she turned to me. “It sounds like the Nocturne Knights had something to do with the Night Howler incident.”  
“I told ya, they are a dangerous bunch. So Shadow, tell us what you know about what they’re up to now. Why are they stealing diamonds and framing Mr. Big and his boys?”   
“I don’t know much, I’m on the lam. But I do know that they are making that Foxtrot broad perform at that casino against her will. I’ve contacted her and she wants out, and she claims to have some information about what the Nocturne Knights are planning. If you get her outta here, she’ll tell you all you need to know.”   
“She works at the Arendelle Casino right?” I asked.   
“That’s right, Red. Just find a way to get her out without being seen by any of the Nocturne Knights.”  
“Well that should be fun…” I muttered.   
“Thanks for the help, Shadow!” said Hopps.   
“No problem, Bunbun. Be careful, and take care of that Foxtrot gal!”  
“We will!” she answered back.   
We walked out of the parking garage and headed towards the Arendelle Casino. Hopps looked above us.  
“Wow, l can’t even see the ceiling. How far below ground are we?”  
“I dunno, pretty far though. They have vents that get air from the outside.”  
“Interesting.” she said.   
I tried to keep it cool, hoping I wouldn’t be recognized as we walked down the sidewalk. Fortunately it had been a while since I had been down there, so hopefully nobody remembered me.   
“Okay Hopps, we’re almost there. Remember to keep your cool.” I didn’t hear a response. “Hopps, did you hear me?” I turned around and she wasn’t there. “Hopps? Hopps!?” I looked around frantically. This was not good! “Judy, where are you?” I sprinted back down the strip, retracing our footsteps.   
She was right behind me just a minute ago. Where could she have gone? This was a terrible idea.   
I turned the corner into an ally, and there she was. She was backing away from a huge Leopard who was harassing her.   
“C’mon, Carrots. I’ll be real nice to ya, just come with me.” said the leopard.   
I tugged on his shirt. He turned around and glared at me. “What do you want, fox?”   
“Um excuse me, but that’s my bunny. And I’m the only one that can call her Carrots, got me? Now go groom yourself or something.”  
He picked me up by my shirt and threw me into a pile of trash. “Don’t mess with me, fox!”   
“Nick!” yelled Hopps.   
“Shut your trap, Carrots! I’ll be with you in a second.” the leopard said.   
I got up and charged at the enormous cat. I leaped up and punched him right in the face, and down he went.   
“I told you.” I said, tending to my now throbbing fist. “I’m the only one that can call her Carrots.”  
Hopps ran over and tackled me to the ground. She began hugging my neck very tightly. “Thank you Nick! I thought I was a goner. I couldn’t fight back, I’ve found out that I’m not very agile in this dress.”  
“Well I’m glad I could help.”  
I looked into her eyes, they were glowing a beautiful violet. I started to move in closer. What are you doing, Wilde? I thought to myself. I snapped out of it and got up. “W-we should get going, we have an arctic fox to save.”   
She looked confused for a second, then got up and brushed herself off. We headed out of the ally. She touched my shoulder. “What’s up, Carrots?”   
“Sorry, you had a banana peel on your shoulder and I was getting it off.”   
“Oh, well thanks.”   
C’mon, Wilde. She’s your best friend, that’s all she’s gonna be. I can’t believe you almost went in to kiss her! That would have gone well. I can practically feel the friendship-ending slap in the face right now. Be cool, you can’t let her know that you…love her. I mean at the end of the day, you’re still just a sly fox.


	5. The Arendelle Casino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive at the casino, and they finally meet Aurora Foxtrot, and Judy is not impressed...

Chapter 5: The Arendelle Casino  
-Told by Judy-  
What’s wrong with you, Judy? Did you really think he was going to kiss you? Why would he? He’s your friend and your partner, that’s all. I know he teases you by calling you cute, and he playfully hugs you and…you love every second of it. But he’s just teasing, that’s his sense of humor. He doesn’t love you that way, not the way that you love him.  
“You okay, Carrots? You’ve been unusually quiet.” said Nick, interrupting my internal monologue.   
“Yeah, I’m good. Just focusing on the case.”  
“Never stopped you from talking my ear off before.”   
“Sorry, it’s just so different down here. It’s so different from the Zootipia I know.”  
“You have no idea.” he said.   
It truly was an overwhelming atmosphere. We were in the deep, dark underground under the city and yet the place was lit up by hundreds of bright neon signs in every color you could think of. Many of the hotels, restaurants, theaters and casinos were beautifully built, but some were rundown ramshackle buildings. There were hundreds of people walking up and down the strip, a vast majority of them were predators. I was getting strange looks from a lot of them, which made the whole situation even more nerve-wracking. I stayed close to Nick, I really didn’t want a repeat of the leopard incident.   
We turned the corner into a wide area of lights, music and street performers. There were mink dancers, tiger clowns and lion musicians.   
Nick pulled me in close. “Keep close to me, Carrots. And keep an eye on your purse. This part of the strip is known for its pickpockets.”   
“O-okay.” I said as I held my purse up to my body like it was my baby. I lightly held on to his tuxedo as we walked across the field of performances.   
Nick grabbed my shoulders and pushed me right in front of him.   
“What are you doing?” I asked, blushing a little. I really hoped he didn’t see it.   
“This way I know you won’t get lost.” he said, not letting go of my shoulders.   
Once we got to the other side, he let go of me. “Sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable, Hopps.”  
I looked up at him. “It didn’t. It made me feel…safe.”   
He smiled. “Well we are partners, gotta look out for each other right?”  
“Right.” I answered.   
He pointed forward. “Right through that gate is the Arendelle Casino. You ready?”   
I nodded.   
We walked through the gate, and what I saw reminded me of a fairytale. The casino itself looked like a giant marble castle. The property had a garden of dozens of exotic plants, which was odd because there was no sunlight. I figured they must use some sort of fancy synthetic light to help them grow. There was a giant fountain in between us and the casino. It shot out water in many patterns, and there were several different-colored lights in the fountain, giving a magical feel to the rushing water.   
“Wow, it’s so…pretty!” I said.   
“What did you expect from the biggest casino on the strip?”   
“I thought it would be more, I dunno, sketchy? But this looks like a dream world.”  
“Don’t get pulled in, Carrots. That’s how they get ya.”  
“I won’t don’t worry. We’re here to rescue Aurora Foxtrot and take her into protective custody.”  
“Now’s the time to start the undercover acting, Fluff. You ready?” he whispered.  
“I’m always ready, partner.”  
He put his arm around me and pulled me as close to him as possible. He was practically holding me. I could feel my nose twitching.   
The way he’s holding on to me…so gentle, and he’s so warm. I wish we could be like this forever.   
I blocked those thoughts out of my head. Get it together Judy! We’re undercover. This is just part of the act!   
I composed myself and started to get into character. If Nick was going to be a high-rolling fox from Los Bangeles, then I was going to be his Lady Luck. I had to be bold and flashy.   
I know! I thought. I’ll be like Jessica Rabbit in that 1950s movie. She did whatever she could to prove her husband’s innocence. She was a very bold and very flashy lady…well maybe she was a little bit too over the top. I’ll tone it down a little.   
We entered into the casino, and the inside was even more impressive than the outside. I mean yes, there were obviously roulettes and poker tables and such, but the way it was decorated was amazing. Beautiful tapestries on the walls, a wonderfully made stage in the back, the floors were made of marble. They had an ice sculpture of Zootopia, with different colored lights highlighting the different parts of the city. Tundra Town was a subtle shade of greyish blue, Sahara Square was a sandy brown, the Rainforest District was green, and downtown was red. On the very bottom of the sculpture, right under Sahara Square, it glowed a deep purple, that must have been the Nocturnal Strip.  
“Ready to hustle, sweetheart?” Nick whispered into my ear.   
“Always.” I whispered back.   
We walked up to the reception area, there was a hyena lady working the front desk.  
“Excuse me, doll?” Nick said.   
The woman looked up from the computer. “May I help you, sir?”  
“Me and my honey bunny here are from out of town, and we heard that this was the place to try our luck. I would like to get some chips, please.” He pulled out a wad of cash and placed it on the table. It looked like there was at least a thousand dollars on the table.   
“You’re playin’ it big tonight, aren’t you foxy?” I said, trying not to sound too nervous that Nick was going to gamble away a thousand dollars that he probably borrowed from Mr. Big.   
“Don’t I always, darling? With you here, I can’t lose!”  
I glared at him, trying not to give my frustration away. He was giving me that sly smile that he had when we first met. I knew he had something planned.   
The receptionist took the cash and handed Nick a bunch of chips inside a container. “Good luck out there sir.” She snickered a bit.   
“Thank you, ma’am.” he said.   
We walked into the main part of the casino. The ceiling was domed and stain-glassed, and it had a huge crystalline chandelier hanging down from the center.   
I leaned up to Nick’s ear. “are you really going to bet all of that money?”   
“No, of course not. I’m not much of a gambler, but we had to play the part right?”   
“What do we do now?”   
He looked around the casino. “Looks like there are some empty seats right in front of the stage. That sign says that Aurora is performing at ten. It’s 9:45 now. We just need to blend in until then, and I don’t have to bet a single cent.”  
I took a deep breath. “Okay, I can blend in…”  
We sat down in a chair that fit the two of us. He helped me up first, then hopped up next to me.   
A hyena waitress walked up to us. “Want anything before the show?”   
“I’ll have a bowl of your finest blueberries, and my lovely bunny here will have a...”  
“Carrot juice. Shaken, not stirred.” I said in a botched Manes Bond impression.   
The waitress looked at me, confused. “I’ll see what we have as far as carrot juice is concerned. I’ll be right back.”  
“Really, Carrots?”   
“What? I’ve always wanted to say that, and that was my chance.”  
The theater area started to get packed. Every seat was taken by 9:55. There was so much commotion about Aurora Foxtrot’s performance. We had a rowdy wolf sitting to the right of us that kept howling, and a tiger on the left that kept whistling and yelling for the show to start.  
The room got dark, and a spotlight focused on the middle of the stage. “Ladies and gentlemammals, we at the Arendelle Casino are proud to present the beautiful and alluring arctic fox: Aurora Foxtrot!”   
The young arctic fox slid gracefully out from behind the curtain. She was a slender fox with very fine white fur. She had orange eyes that glowed like a fire. She wore a silver dress that made mine look like I got it at the dollar store. She began to dance around the stage and sing.  
“The snow glows white on the mountain tonight  
Not a footprint to be seen  
A kingdom of isolation,  
And it looks like I'm the queen.  
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside  
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!”   
She walked off of the stage, still singing and dancing. “Don't let them in, don't let them see  
Be the good girl you always have to be  
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know  
Well, now they know!”  
She made her way over to us and jumped up on our chair. She squeezed between me and Nick and knelt down. She began to scratch under his chin, he had a dumbfounded look on his face.   
“Let it go, let it go  
Can't hold it back anymore  
Let it go, let it go  
Turn away and slam the door!”  
She began to stroke his ears.  
“I don't care  
What they're going to say  
Let the storm rage on,  
The cold never bothered me anyway!”  
She jumped back down and continued to sing and dance.   
Nick whispered to me “Wow, you know Carrots? She’s some singer, isn’t she?”   
I was just looked forward, my arms were crossed and my foot was thumping against the chair. “Oh, yeah, she’s great…”   
I was upset. I mean that fox girl basically pushed me out of the way and started moving in on Nick. Talk about shameless.  
“You okay, Hopps?” he asked.   
“Yeah, I’m fine. We just need to wait until this performance is over so we can take her in.”   
“C’mon, enjoy the show!”   
Looks like you’re enjoying the show enough for the both of us. I thought to myself.   
Aurora walked back up on the stage.  
“I don't care  
What they're going to say  
Let the storm rage on,  
The cold never bothered me anyway!”   
She slipped back behind the curtain, and there was a roar of applause. Everyone applauded except for me.   
After the show, Nick and I snuck back behind stage. We looked all around for Aurora, but couldn’t find her.   
“So what do ya think about Aurora?” Nick asked as we were walking down the back street.   
“She’s okay I guess. Her fur isn’t as lush as I would have guessed. And her voice was a little high pitched for a fox.”   
We found her dressing room wide open, but it was empty.   
“It’s her summer coat, Carrots. I mean we’re right under Sahara Square, remember? I’m sure if we were in Tundra Town it would be as fluffy as a cloud. I think she’s pretty, she smells really good too, like an apple orchard.”  
“It’s a unique scent, isn’t it? I have it custom made especially for me.”   
We turned around and there she was.  
“Aurora Foxtrot?” I said with no kindness in my voice.   
She batted her eyes. “Yes?”  
“My name is Judy Hopps, and this is my partner, Nick Wilde. We’re from the ZPD, we’re here to get you out of here and back to your grandmother.”  
Her eyes got wide and she began to cry. “I’ve been waiting for someone to get me out of this wretched place! Shadow told me that one day it would happen.”   
She walked right past me and threw herself into Nick’s arms. “You’re my hero!”   
Nick patted her shoulder. “There, there Ms. Foxtrot. Hopps and I are going to make sure you never have to see this place again. Right, Hopps?”  
“Right, because that’s our job at the ZPD. Saving and protecting the innocent.” And after we do, I hope we never have to see you again, fox girl. I thought.   
“So how are we going to get out of here?” she asked.   
“We have a polar bear waiting for us in a limo. We just need to get there without causing a ruckus.” Said Nick.  
“Wait!” I said. “I think I have an idea…”


	6. Escaping the Strip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes finally have the lovely Ms. Aurora Foxtrot, and they plan their escape. But things don't exactly go according to plan. What's more, Aurora and Judy don't seem to get along, and Nick is right in the middle of it.

Chapter 6: Escaping the Strip  
-Told by Nick-  
“Clever bunny!” I said as we snuck into the props closet.   
“And don’t you forget it, buster.” she said.  
We were rummaging through the various clothes racks, chests and shelves to find the perfect disguise for the lovely Ms. Aurora Foxtrot.   
Carrots dove headfirst deep inside of a chest, digging to the very bottom. “Aha!” she yelled.   
She leaped out of the chest with a costume in her hands. It was an old-granny outfit, complete with grey hair and glasses.   
Hopps tried to hand the costume to Aurora. “Put this on, Aurora. Nobody will notice you when we make our escape.”   
“Ew, I’m not putting that old thing on. I’ll look like an old lady!”  
Hopps threw the costume at her. “That’s the point.”  
“But being old is so…tacky!”  
“Just put it on, you can worry about fashion when we get you out of here. We’ll be outside while you change. C’mon, Nick.” She stomped over to me and dragged me out by my shirt.   
She slammed the closet door behind us. She seemed a little tense.   
“You okay, Carrots?” I asked.   
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Just peachy, why?”   
“You seem just a little perturbed. And of course by a little I mean a lot. What’s up?”   
“Nothing.” she snapped.   
“Hopps…”   
She looked away from me.   
“Judy, I’m your partner. I know when you’re upset. I haven’t seen you this mad since I pretended to have rabies back in Bunny Burrow and scared the fur right off your parents.”  
“I’m not mad.” she said with an angry tone.   
“Yeah, you’ve got me convinced.” I said with every drop of sarcasm I could muster.  
She turned around and grinned creepily. “See? I’m not mad. I’m just a little tired. It’s been a long night. I just want to get this case over with.”   
I knew she wasn’t telling me something, but I knew better than to dwell on it, lest I face the judgment of her fluffy fury.   
“Okay, well we’re almost home free. After this is over I’ll take you out for a carrot milkshake. Would you like that?”   
Her mood seemed to improve. “You know I can’t resist a carrot milkshake.”   
I knew that would to the trick. I always took her out to get milkshakes when she was upset, usually at me.   
The closet door opened, and Aurora walked out with the granny costume on.   
“Does looking super old make my butt look big?” she asked.   
Judy grabbed her arm. “Yes, very. Now let’s get a move on!”   
We crept out of the backstage area and back into the casino. Aurora was between us, it just looked like we were helping an old lady walk out of the casino. We walked past the reception area and the hyena running the front desk called out to us.   
“Excuse me?”   
The three of us stopped. I could feel my heart begin to race. What if we were busted?  
I put my hustling face on, couldn’t let them see me sweat. “What’s up, doll?”   
“Did you need to cash in your chips?”   
“Ah, yes!” I said. “Honey Bunny, I do believe I placed them in your bag for safe keeping.”  
She dug into her purse and got out the container of chips and handed them to me.   
“Thank you. Now hold onto granny there while I give this nice lady the chips.”  
Carrots nodded.   
I handed the hyena the container of chips. She looked up at me. “This is the same amount that I gave you earlier.”  
“Yeah well, I won some and I lost some. What can you do?”   
She opened the cash register and gave me back my, or rather, Mr. Big’s money. “Thank you for coming to the Arendelle Casino, where everyone is treated like royalty.”   
“Oh it was our pleasure, we’ll be sure to come back real soon!”   
I shoved the money into my wallet and went back to Hopps and granny. We hastily walked out of there.   
“Yeah, we were treated like royalty, all right. I never even got my blueberries…” I said.  
“There are more important things to think about now, Nick.” said Hopps.  
I looked at her in disgust. “More important than blueberries? Carrots, you’re talking crazy!”   
“We’ve got to get Aur-I mean granny to the car.”  
“Yeah yeah, it still woulda been nice if I at least got my blueberries.”  
We made it past the sea of pickpocketing performers and turned onto the main street of the strip. We were about halfway to the parking garage when we were confronted by two grizzly bears.  
“Can we help you two?” I said.  
“Yeah, we’re part of the street patrol. We just seen you three walking all suspicious-like and wanna ask you some questions.”  
“We are the suspicious ones? Have you seen the people around here?” I asked, perturbed.   
“Watch it, fox. Just tell us what you guys are doing.”  
“Tch, I don’t know what you guys mean when you say street patrol, but me and my bunny muffin are just taking granny home. She’s had enough excitement for one night. Now if you’ll excuse us. C’mon granny, we’re almost to the car.”   
Aurora grabbed onto her hip and yowled. “Oh, my hip, my hip!” She started to rock back and forth in an very exaggerated manner. She was flailing about so much that her granny wig fell off.  
The two grizzly bears looked over. “Hey, that’s the fox girl, get them!”   
“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag, or rather the fox is out of the wig. Let’s run for it!” I said as I grabbed onto Hopps and Aurora.   
We sprinted to the parking garage and ran up the stairs.   
“Wait, I can’t run so fast. I need to take a break!” said Aurora.   
“Get over it and run, Foxtrot!” yelled Hopps.   
We saw the limo in sight.   
“Raymond, start the car!” I yelled.   
He started the limo and I opened the door. Carrots jumped in and helped Aurora up. I got in after her.   
“Go Raymond, hurry!” yelled Hopps.   
He sped out of the parking space and off we went.   
“What’s goin’ on?” he asked.  
“We’re being chased by two grizzlies because someone decided to make a fool of herself instead of just staying quiet!” said Hopps, staring at Aurora.   
“I was just getting into character. You don’t have to be so mean, bunny!”   
“Better stick to singing, hun. But between you and me, I like Gazelle better!”   
Aurora gasped. “How could such a cute little bunny be so hateful?”  
“Did you just call me cute?” Hopps’ foot was starting to thump.  
“Woah, woah, woah, ladies! Save the bickering for later!” I said, trying to break up the potential brawl.   
We drove through the exit, it was on the opposite side of the strip from the entrance elevator. The exit went into a long, winding, upward tunnel that led up to Lone Wolf Road, a one-way street out of Sahara Square. It kinda made you wanna vomit.   
We finally got topside, we popped out of the tunnel and onto Lone Wolf road.   
I took a sigh of relief. “Oh good, we’re in the clear. Raymond, get ready to do a victory too-toot!”   
There was a loud popping noise coming from behind us. I looked out of the rear window. The grizzlies were hot on our tail!   
“Nick, from now on…there will be no mention of victory toot-toots until the case is closed. This is the second time you’ve jinxed us!” said Judy.  
“Fair enough.” I said.   
There was another popping noise, and the window shattered. They were shooting at us! We all hit the deck. Raymond was swerving all across the road.  
I got my gun out of the holster on my belt and stood up.   
“Nick, what are you doing?” asked Hopps.   
“I’m gonna take care of this! Keep Aurora down. and Ray, drive as straight as you can!”   
Raymond straightened out the car. I took aim at the car behind us, but there was another shot. It just barely missed me and went through the privacy window, luckily missing Raymond too. He swerved again and it knocked me to the floor.   
“Nick, are you okay?” asked Hopps.   
“I’m fine, don’t move Carrots!”  
I got back up and aimed my gun. Raymond was still swerving pretty badly. I clenched my teeth and took the chance. I made the shot, and it hit their front tire…right on target! The car swerved off of the road and crashed.   
I wiped the sweat from my face. “Whoo, that was close!”  
“Oooh, my hero!” said Aurora as she threw herself on me, knocking me down. She gave me a ten second kiss on my cheek. “Oh, Nick. I was so scared! You saved me twice tonight, you’re so brave.” She gave me another kiss.   
“No prob, glad I could help.” I said. I tried to get her off of me. Now this may sound a little judgy, but needy girls had always been a huge turn off for me. I mean sure, Aurora was a beautiful young lady, smelled amazing too, but my heart was drawn to another. I tried as gently as I could to pry her off of me.   
We both got up and sat down, Raymond had straightened the car up, the crisis was over.   
Aurora would not let go of me. She kept nuzzling my arm and telling me how brave I was. Carrots was quiet, she just stared out of the window.   
“So, Aurora. Now you are in protective custody, we’re going to take you down to the station so we can put you in a safe house.” I told her.   
“No!” she yelled, finally letting go of my arm. “I mean, I really just want to go home to my grandma. She’s probably sick with worry since they foxnapped me.”  
“But that’ll probably be the first place they look for you.” I said.  
“Don’t be silly! My grandmother has a state-of-the-art security system set up in her house. If anyone comes near the house that shouldn’t be there, they’ll get fried.”  
“Then how did you get foxnapped to begin with?”   
“It wasn’t at grandma’s, that’s for sure. You see, I’m a gradeschool teacher in Tundra Town. I was driving to a charity I had planned for underprivileged children, when I was blind sighted by those grizzlies. They snatched me out of my car and the next thing I knew I was underground. I was the property of the Nocturne Knights. They made me sing and dance for that awful casino for who knows how long?”  
“That’s awful. Well you’re safe now. We’ll take you to your grandma’s.”  
“Thank you, Nick. Tehe.”  
We drove down Sahara Square for another hour or so, and through the fridged streets of Tundra Town for another forty-five minutes. We arrived at Madame Shade Foxtrot’s mansion at around 1:45 am.   
I hit the buzzer on the intercom.   
“Oh, I hope grandma is still awake. She doesn’t have a cell phone, she thinks that they are full of the devil.” said Aurora.   
“But you said she has state-of-the-art security.” I said.  
“I don’t know what she’s thinking. She’s always been kinda weird.”  
“Who’s there?” said a feeble voice on the intercom.   
“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m officer Nicolas Wilde. We have Aurora, she’s safe and sound. Could you let us in?”   
“Right, you’re the police. Please…get off of my property or I’ll fry you!”   
“Told you.” said Aurora.   
“Madame Foxtrot?” said Raymond.   
“Who is that? Is that you, Ray? Oh, tell me how Mr. Big is doing?”  
“He’s doing just fine.”  
“And what about Fru Fru? I keep telling him that he’s spoiling that poor child.”  
“She’s good, ma’am. She’s married now as a matter of fact, with a little shrew of her own.”  
“Well that’s nice. But what are you doing here?”  
“Nicky…I mean, officer Wilde here is telling the truth. We got’s Aurora with us. She was just a chubby little fox goin’ off to collage the last time I saw her. And now she’s a lovely young lady.”  
“Well she is a sweet gal, my Aurora. I’ll let you in Raymond, after you give me the password.”  
Raymond rolled his eyes. “Do I have to?”  
“You do if you want to get in.”  
“…Fluffy foxtrot frolicking through the flowers.”  
“Good man, I’ll beep you in.”  
The front gate opened and we drove in.   
We got out of the car. Hopps rushed out and practically sprinted to the front door ahead of me.   
We knocked on the door and a polar bear answered.   
“Bobby, how are ya?” asked Ray. They did some kind of secret handshake. Lame.   
“You really did get Aurora back! You guys come in, go sit in the conservatory. I’ll got get Madame Shade.”   
We walked into the gargantuan house. It looked even bigger than Mr. Bigs! Another polar bear showed us into the conservatory, which is just rich-people talk for family room.   
“Madame will be in shortly.”  
“Thank you, Giles.” said Aurora.   
Hopps sat down on the antique couch in the middle of the room. I went to go sit next to her, but Aurora slid in before I could. I moved over and sat next to Aurora.   
After a few excruciating minutes of silence, Madame Foxtrot entered the room. She was an ancient broad, her eyes clouded by blindness. She walked with a cane, she was hunched over.   
“So where is my granddaughter?” she asked.   
“Right here, grandma!” said Aurora. She got up out her seat and helped Madame Shade sit down.   
I scooted over closer to Hopps, who was just blankly staring at the fireplace.   
“You sure sound different. What have they done to you, child?”   
“I don’t even want to tell you. You know you have a bad heart.”  
“You’re right, I should just be glad you’re home.”  
“Well, it’s about time we go.” I said.  
“Wait!” said Aurora.   
“What?”   
“I have something to tell you about the Nocturne Knights. I know what they’re planning.”   
I expected Hopps to be the first to ask her what she knew. But she was still in outer space somewhere.   
“Alright, tell us what you know.” I said.  
“They’re going to hit the Zootopia Art Museum tomorrow night during the Arctic Diamond ball.”  
“The what?” I asked.   
“The Arctic Diamond ball. It’s an enormous celebration to commemorate the unveiling of the Arctic Diamond itself. Well at least half of it.”  
“What’s the Arctic Diamond, and what do you mean by half of it?”   
“It was at one time the biggest diamond in the world, but a while ago it was cut in half by some jewel thieves and split between them.”   
“How did they cut such a big diamond clear in half? Diamonds are the strongest substances on earth, And the biggest diamond in the world would not cut easily.”  
“From what I heard, they used a powerful laser to do it. I also heard that the thieves that acquired the diamond were employed by the Nocturne Knights, but the thieves wanted the diamond for themselves. And now that the other half of the diamond has been found, they will stop at nothing to get their paws on it.”  
“Where is the first half?”   
“It’s safe. Actually, it’s in this very house. You see, the foxtrots are the diamond’s rightful owners. After it was found and returned, Grandma graciously donated half of the diamond to the museum. But she kept the other half, which I think is why I was foxnapped. They didn’t get the chance to contact my grandmother to ask for the diamond for me. They were going to wait until after they got the first half.”  
“I see, well thank you for the information. I think we’ll be going now. You ready, Carrots?”   
Hopps slowly got off of the couch. “Yeah, let’s go.” She said, ears drooping.   
Aurora brushed against her grandmother, and Madame Shade started to freak out. “Who are you?”  
Aurora looked at her grandmother. “Grandma, it’s me…Aurora?”  
“You’re not my granddaughter!”   
“Grandma, it’s me!”   
“Y-you’re not my granddaughter. Someone, help!”   
“Grandma, calm down. Did you take your meds today?”  
“Help, someone help!”   
Bobby and Giles entered the room.   
“Can you guys take grandma upstairs and make sure she takes her medication?”   
“Yes, ma’am.” said Giles. “Come on, Madame Shade. We’re going to take you upstairs and put you to bed. You’ve had quite an eventful evening.   
“No, no, let me go!”   
They took her out of the room.   
“Sorry about that. My grandma gets a little senile sometimes…”  
“Is she gonna be okay?” I asked.   
“Oh yes, Giles and Bobby will take care of her. And she’s got me back home.”  
“Alright, give us a call if you need anything.” I said as I gave her my card.   
“Sure thing, you foxy cop you.”   
She was making me feel uncomfortable again. “Yeah, alright. Bye now.”   
Hopps, Ray and I walked out of the house.   
“Well, it looks like you have an admirer.” said Carrots.   
“You mean her? Yeah, what is her deal?”   
“I dunno but you seemed to like the attention.”   
“Not really, she’s not my type.”  
“Not your type? Please, I saw how you looked at her when she was dancing up next to you.”  
“I-I’ll go start the car up.” said Raymond as he beat feet over to the limo.   
“Where is this coming from?” I asked.   
“Just admit you like her.” said Carrots.  
“I thought she was pretty, and sure she smells good…like apples.”  
She raised her eyebrow.   
“What? She does…but why do you care?”   
Her nose started to twitch. “I…I just think that you can do better. She’s too flirty and clingy.”  
“I know that. She wouldn’t let go of me. Besides, I don’t have feeling for her, I love y-“ I stopped myself.   
Hopps looked up at me, her ears shot straight up.  
C’mon, Nick. Now’s your chance to tell her. Say ‘I love you, Carrots.’ C’mon you can do it!  
“I love…”  
‘I love you’, how hard is it to say?  
“I-I love being your partner. And we’re on a case, so now’s not the right time for me to be dating even if I did like her.”  
“Oh…” she said, her ears drooped a little bit. A few seconds later they perked up again. “I feel the same way, Nick. We need to focus on this case.”  
She seemed to get some more pep in her step, and she hopped to the limo.  
Why can’t I tell her? It’s tearing me up inside. But just imagine how she’ll react. She’ll be all sweet, not wanting to hurt my feelings and say she just wants to stay friends. Then there will be a rift in our friendship and all of a sudden I’ll be all alone again. No, our friendship means more to me than anything, so I’ll just have to get over it.   
I followed Carrots into the limo. It was quiet the whole way home, but the tension was gone. Most of it, anyway. Oh, how I wanted to tell her how I felt.   
‘I love you, Carrots’. Sure, it was super easy to say it in my head!  
Ray dropped Hopps off first.   
She got out of the car. “Bye, Nick. See you in the morning. Looks like we’re going to that ball tomorrow night.”  
“Looks like it, Carrots. Better pick out another dress!”   
“Ugh, I don’t wanna.”  
“Well, how’re you going to look at a ball without a nice dress? You certainly don’t want to wear the same dress two nights in a row, do you? Especially since you got trash on it back in the ally.”  
“Well are you getting another tux?”   
“Absolutely.”  
“See you later, dumb fox.”  
“See ya, sly bunny!”   
And then it was just me and Ray the rest of the way.  
“Why don’t you tell that bunny broad you love her, Nicky?”  
I was caught off guard. “W-what are you talking about?”  
Raymond laughed. “I know you, fox. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love her.  
“I-I, this is ridiculous. We’re friends, that’s it.”  
“That wasn’t a denial.”  
“Shut up, polar bear. I think I liked it better when you hated me.”

After a very long night, I was finally home. I stumbled in my room and collapsed on my couch. I was so tired, too tired to even walk that extra ten feet to my bed. Before going to sleep, I looked at my coffee table. I saw Hopps’ carrot pen laying there. She had given it to me as a silly little gift when I joined the force. I picked it up and hit the record button.   
“Hey there, Carrots. It’s me, Nick. I have to get something off my chest. And since this is going to be erased in the morning and you’ll never hear it, I have something to confess…I…love you.”


	7. The Arctic Diamond Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a very long night, Judy drags into the station late. This gets her in trouble with chief Bogo, and lands her and Nick parking duty and double-shifts for the rest of the week. Which would be fine, if she and Nick didn't already have plans to go to the Arctic Diamond ball to stop the Nocturne Knights from stealing the giant gem.

Chapter 7: The Arctic Diamond Ball  
-Told by Judy-  
‘I learned two things that day. One: I was never gonna let anyone see that they got to me.’  
‘And…two?’  
‘If the world’s only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there’s no point in trying to be anything else.’  
‘Nick…you are so much more than that.’  
I awoke at the piercing sound of my alarm. It made me fall out of my bed in panic.   
“What’s going on? Wha-, huh?” When I finally snapped out of it, I realized I was in my apartment.   
I grabbed my phone and turned off the alarm. I dragged myself into the bathroom and got ready for work.   
I got to work late, which was a first. Not just late, I was like forty-two minutes late!  
“Hopps, the chief is going to kill you.” said Clawhauser as I ran into the station. He was devouring a donut.   
“I know, but we had a really late night last night and-“  
“Who’s we?” he asked, staring at me in curiosity.   
“Me and Nick, we had to-“  
“Ooooohhhhhh.” he piped in a high-pitched voice. “Did you guys go on a date? Well it’s about time!” he said as he grabbed another donut from the box.  
“No, we had to go undercover.”  
“Aw man, that’s not as interesting.”  
I jumped up on his desk and whispered in his ear. “We went down to the Nocturnal Strip.”   
“The Nocturnal Strip!?” he yelled at the top of his lungs.  
Everyone stared at us.   
“That’s right, Clawhauser…I was thinking of going to Norway on a trip.”  
I grabbed his lips. “Hush.”   
“Sorry, it’s just that place is dangerous. It’s run by the Nocturne Knights, or so I’ve heard.”  
“Well you heard right. Nick and I went down there and rescued Madame Shade Foxtrot’s granddaughter, Aurora. She had been kidnapped by the Nocturne Knights and they were going to use her to get half of the Arctic Diamond from Madame Shade.”  
“Wow, that’s crazy!” he said, eyes wide.  
“I know!”  
He picked up a donut out of the box. “They gave me an extra donut, lucky number thirteen!” he said as he stuffed his face with it.  
“Clawhauser, I was talking about the case.”  
“Oh yeah, that’s pretty interesting too.”   
“Well that’s not all, they are supposedly going to strike tonight at the Arctic Diamond ball at the Art museum to get half of the Arctic Diamond. The other half is locked up safe and sound at the Foxtrot mansion.”   
“So what are you gonna do?” he asked.  
“Nick and I are going to that ball and look out for them, with any luck we can apprehend them and take them into custody.”   
“You’re at least going to let the chief know, right?”   
“No, not until absolutely necessary. Apparently if the Nocturne Knights catch wind of police involvement, they have a way of getting rid of all evidence…including innocent animals involved. So this is just between you, me and Nick for. Got it?”   
“You want me to keep a secret from the chief?”   
“Yes, I need you to.”   
He sighed. “I’ll do my best. You owe me a box of gourmet donuts for this one.”  
“Done.” I said.  
“Hopps!” yelled the chief from up in his office.   
“Uh-oh, that’s his angry voice.” said Clauhauser, cringing in his chair.  
“I guess I better go see what he wants.” I said, hopping down and heading up the stairs. 

“What’s up, chief Bogo, sir?” I said nervously as I walked into his office.   
“Sit down.”  
I crawled onto the seat.   
“Where were you this morning?”  
“I’m sorry, sir. I-I still don’t feel too well.” I said, coughing.   
“Well is Wilde sick now, too?”   
“Wait, Nick’s not here?”  
“No, he didn’t show up for work today, either.”   
“I’ll go over to his apartment and check on him, sir.”  
“This is ridiculous, Hopps. If he’s well enough to work today, the two of you are on parking duty for the rest of the week, and you’re working double shifts!”   
“But, chief.”  
“No buts, you two didn’t even check in about Mr. Big. Did you even go talk to him?”  
“Yes, sir. And he says he has no knowledge of the diamond thefts, and he vouched for his polar bears. He says that one of his limos was stolen and that the perps must be using it to steal the diamonds.”  
“Who would be bold enough to steal a limo from that sketchy little shrew?”  
“I-uh, he…that’s a good question sir. But I will tell you that Mr. Big checks out.”  
“That’s not your decision to make, Hopps! Now, go get Wilde. You two have a long day of putting tickets on cars.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
I walked out of the office and went down the stairs.   
“So what’s the damage?” asked Clawhauser.  
“We’re on parking duty for the rest of the week.”  
“Could be worse.”  
“True, but we’re also working double shifts. That means we won’t be able to go to the ball tonight…unless.”  
“Unless what?”   
“Unless you cover for us tonight?”   
“What?”   
“Just tell the chief that we’re out there dishing out parking tickets if he asks. Okay?”   
“But I’m a terrible liar, especially with the chief.”  
“C’mon, Clauhauser. We could take down the Nocturne Knights tonight, think of it! Zootopia could finally rest easy knowing that the infamous group is behind bars for good.”   
“Fine, I’ll do it. But you owe me two-dozen donuts now.”  
“Heck, I’ll make it three.”

I walked out to the parking garage and got our car. I drove to Nick’s apartment and walked up to the door. His door was a lot different than the others in the complex. It didn’t just have a key lock, it had a digital code lock as well, he must have had that put in recently.   
I knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked harder. Still no answer. I knocked as hard as I could. I heard stumbling and things falling on the floor.   
The door swung open. “What is it!?” yelled Nick. He was all disheveled and the fur on his face was messy. He looked exhausted and he was in his…underwear!  
He realized who was at the door. “C-Carrots!” he closed the door, leaving it barely cracked.  
“W-what are you doing here?”   
I couldn’t speak for a moment, I was too caught off guard.   
“I, uh, I…you didn’t show up at w-ork today and I came over to check you out…I mean check on you!”  
“What time is it?” he asked.   
“Umm, it’s about 10 o’ clock now.”  
“What!?” he said, panicking. “Gimme a sec’ to get ready, Carrots. I’ll be out in a few.”  
“Okay, I’ll be out in the car.”   
I walked back outside and got into the car. My face was still red. Maybe I should have called him first?  
A few minutes later he came running out with his uniform on, it was wrinkled and a bit askew. He was wearing his sunglasses, which were crooked. He was carrying two cups of coffee.  
I opened the door for him.   
“Thanks, Carrots. I made you some coffee too. You looked like you could use some.”   
“Thank you.”  
“No prob. Whoo, that was some crazy night last night huh? I was so tired by the end of it, I don’t even remember getting home last night.”  
“I was pretty tired too. But unlike you, I set my alarm.”  
“I don’t do alarms, I usually wake up just fine on my own.”  
“You’re always late for work.”  
“Yeah, but only by a few minutes. So how steamed was the chief?”  
“Mad enough to give us parking duty for the rest of the week, and work double shifts.”  
“Double shifts? But how are we gonna go to the ball at the museum tonight?”  
“Clawhauser is going to cover for us. He’ll tell the chief we’re at our posts if he asks.”  
“Cool dude, that Clawhauser. I guess we owe him some donuts.”  
“Yup, we already negotiated the price. Three dozen donuts.”  
“Shoot, I’ll get him another three dozen myself.”

 

So there we were serving our sentence if the form of parking duty. It had been three or four hours into it, when Nick said he had to go somewhere.   
“Where are you going?” I asked.  
“I gotta run some errands. I’ll be back in an hour or so, hold up the fort while I’m gone?”  
“Fine…but you’re going to have to make that carrot milkshake super-sized.”  
“It’s a deal, officer Fluff!”  
So I was driving around alone for an hour-and-a-half, only finding two cars that were over their time allotment. Boy, I really hated parking duty! It was a particularly hot day too, and of course our AC was busted, so I had all of the windows down.  
I saw Nick walking down the street, he was carrying two bags. I drove up to him and turned on the siren. He just about jumped out of his skin.   
“Don’t do that to me, Carrots! You know I hate it.”  
“I know, that’s why I do it. So what do you have there?”  
He tossed up one of the bags through the window and I barely caught it. “What’s this?”  
He gave me his hustling smile. “Open it and see.” he said as he got in on the other side.  
I unzipped the bag, and there was a violet ball gown in it in my size. “Nick. it’s, it’s beautiful.”  
“I know, I picked it out after all. I picked out that dress because it matches your eyes.”  
I blushed. I looked away from him so he didn’t see. I purposely I dropped my phone between the drivers seat and the door. “Oh, I always drop that thing down there.” I said as I rummaged through the side of the seat. When I felt the embarrassing blush leave my face, I “found” my phone.   
I held my phone up. “Found it. So, is that your new tux then?”  
“Sure is, I thought I would shake things up a little. So instead of a straight black tuxedo. I got one in onyx.”  
“Isn’t that still black?”   
“Yeah, but it’s a different shade of black.”  
“You sure are shaking things up, Nick.” I said, laughing. 

After a long day of parking duty, the time finally arrived for us to stake out the museum. We left our car about a mile up the road from the museum, that way if the chief tried to locate our car, it would be far enough away so that he wouldn’t expect anything. We walked to Nick’s apartment to get changed, it was between where we dumped the car and the museum. I hadn’t been inside his apartment since he moved there. He typed in the code to get in.  
030416  
Then he unlocked the door with his key.   
“You can never be too careful, Carrots. Remember that.” he said.   
“Did you pick the code yourself? It looks like a date, is March fourth, 2016 a significant date?”  
“It’s...well yeah. One of the most important days of my life.”  
“Wait a minute, that was my first day on the job.”  
“Yup, it was the first day we met.”  
I could feel a blush coming on. “You, you chose that date as the code to get into your house?”   
“Of course. It’s the day that changed my life for the better! Well, not at first. In fact, when we first met I thought you were just the most aggravating thing I’d ever met. I didn’t know anyone as cute as you could be so annoying.” he laughed.   
“Don’t call me cute. And you were no picnic yourself…Mr. pawpsicle hustler.”   
He opened the door. “Hey I had a great operation going there for a long time.”  
“But now you have a better life, a life with purpose.”  
“Indeed I do, hence putting the date that we first met as my code. You’re a good friend, Carrots…the best I ever had.”  
“You are too, dumb fox.”  
He walked into the bathroom and shut the door.   
I looked around his apartment as he was getting dressed. It looked just like I imagined: organized chaos. There were piles of clothes everywhere, and yet they were clearly color coordinated. Books were lying all over the floor, but in alphabetical order. He had a lumpy old couch fitting for a bachelor pad in the family room. His coffee table had papers all over it, and it was slanted, one of the legs was off balance. I walked over to the coffee table and noticed my carrot pen laying on a pile of papers. I picked it up and was about to hit the play button.   
“Hey Carrots, I’m gonna need some help tying this botwtie!” I heard Nick yell from the bathroom.   
I dropped the carrot pen and it rolled under the couch. I bent down to pick it up. “Carrots!” he yelled.  
“Coming!”   
I ran over to the bathroom.   
“I’m really riding the struggle train tonight.” he said. He got his finger stuck when he was trying to tie the bowtie.   
I laughed. “I’ll say.” I untied the knot and told him to lean down.   
“Why don’t you just get a tuxedo with a necktie instead?” I asked.  
“I tried, they were all out apparently.”  
I finished tying it. “There, you look perfect.”  
“Ha, you’re right I do! Thanks for noticing, Carrots.”  
“Okay, now get out. I need to get ready.”  
He walked out of the bathroom and I closed the door and got changed. The dress was a little hard to put on, mostly because I was not used to wearing dresses. I looked in the mirror, the dress was so…poofy! It reminded me of Belle’s dress from Beauty and the Wildebeest. I peeked out of the bathroom.   
“Okay, don’t poke fun…but will you tell me how do I look?”  
“Oh Carrots, when do I ever poke fun at you?”  
“Let’s see, only all of the time.”  
“Get out here, let me take a look at ya.”  
I walked out of the bathroom.   
He looked at me and grinned. “You, you look great, Hopps.”  
“You think so?”  
“Absolutely…” he said. “But it’s obviously because I chose the dress.” He laughed.   
“Harhar.” I said.  
He looked at his phone. “Aw man, it’s time to go!”   
We ran out of his apartment and rushed to the art museum. We made it just in time for the festivities to begin.   
The curator, an old badger named Fredric Badgerson, welcomed us. “Well if it isn’t officer Hopps and Wilde. Come to enjoy the party, have you?”  
I curtsied. “Of course we did. As soon as we heard about it we just had to come.”  
“Splendid, please enjoy yourselves.”  
We walked into the museum. The animals in charge of the event did a great job. Much of the artwork had been moved for insurance purposes, as well as giving plenty of room on the dance floor. The floor itself had been polished to a perfect shine. In the very center of the room was the guest of honor, so to speak. It was half of the Arctic Diamond. It was in a glass container that was blocked off by rope. It really was a beautiful diamond. It was huge for only being half the size of the original. It was as clear as crystal, with no blemishes, and it glimmered like an icicle on a bright, sunny day.   
The musicians began to play the music. It was a heavenly sound of the piano, violins, and trumpets all playing in harmony.   
Everyone started to dance beautifully to the music, perfectly in sync. Oh, how I wanted to dance! Nick tapped my shoulder, I faced him and he held his hand out and bowed. “May I have the pleasure of dancing with the prettiest gal in the room?”   
“Oh stop with the teasing, Nick! And you know we’re supposed to be on high alert, the Nocturne Knights could strike at any moment.   
“Ever heard of multitasking, Carrots? C’mon, dance with me.”   
I reluctantly took has hand. He guided me out to the dance floor and we started to dance. The musicians were playing something by Molezart. He danced so well, I wondered where he learned to do so. I mean he was a hustler on the streets, surely he didn’t take the time to learn to waltz. And yet he stayed on beat perfectly with the music. I looked into his emerald green eyes, he smiled warmly. For a moment, it seemed as though the world had stopped, and it was just me and him. I could have stayed in that moment forever.   
“Carrots?” he said as we were gliding across the dance floor.   
“Hmm?”  
“I-I gotta tell you something.”  
“What is it, do I have something in my teeth?”  
He laughed. “No, your teeth are perfect. What I’m gonna tell you is hard for me.”  
“Nick, you know you can tell me anything.”  
He took a deep breath, his cheeks turned red. “I…um. I…uh.”  
“Cat got your tongue?”   
“Looks like it. What I’m trying to say is-“ he was interrupted by a loud humming noise that was coming from the wall.   
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and the entire center of the back wall was gone. The animals closest to the wall were thrown several feet away. Nick and I dove out of the way of the falling debris.   
There were screams of terror coming from all around us, and there were flames and debris everywhere.   
I looked toward the blown-up wall, and there were two shadowy silhouettes that I couldn’t quite make out because of the smoke. They walked up to the Arctic Diamond. There was the sound of shattering glass, and one of them snatched the diamond.  
I grabbed Nick’s pager from his pocket. “This is officer Judy Hopps. We have a situation at Zootopia’s Art Museum. There was an explosion, and there are several civilians down. Expect multiple injuries. Send immediate support, we have two suspects running away with the Arctic Diamond. Hurry!”  
I got up and ran after the suspects.   
“Hopps, wait!” Nick yelled after me.   
I leaped through the hole in the wall and into the alley behind the museum. I could see the two perps clearly now, and they did not look friendly.


	8. Hot Pursuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nocturne Knights finally show themselves, and our dream team is in pursuit. It'll be a fight for the Arctic Diamond...and someone is going to lose more than just a priceless gem when the fight is over.

Chapter 8: Hot Pursuit   
-Told by Nick-  
“Carrots, wait!” I yelled out to Hopps as she ran straight into danger.   
What is she thinking? I thought to myself as I ran after her. I crawled through the hole that was blown into the wall and met her out in the alley.   
“Hopps, don’t go running out here by yourself. Do you have carrots for brains?”   
“Nick, it’s them…” she said, staring straight ahead. She didn’t move a muscle.   
I looked down the alley and saw the thieves, there were two of them. One was the leopard that harassed Carrots down on the strip, he was the one with the diamond. The other thief was a certain skunk from my past.   
“Cain Toxocara?” I said, shocked to see him.  
“So it’s true, Nick Wilde is a copper now?” said Cain.   
Cain was wearing what looked like a military-style vest with several gadgets attached to it.  
“You know this fox, Tox?” asked the leopard as he placed the diamond in a satchel.   
“Yeah, he and I go way back. We used to be buds, until he had some jerks take the fur from my rear and used it to make a rug. My fur still won’t grow back right!”  
The leopard laughed. “So that’s why your tail is so bald?”   
Cain took a homemade Taser from one of the many pockets on his vest and jabbed it into the leopard’s leg.   
“Ouch, what was that for? You almost made me drop the diamond!” the leopard yelped.  
“That’s for making fun of me, Allister!” Cain said.   
“Why are you doing this, Cain?” I yelled.   
He snickered. “You got no business asking me that, Wilde. First you betray me, then you betray everyone else on the strip by becoming a cop!”   
“I’m sorry about the whole getting your butt shaved thing. It was wrong of me, and I’m reminded of it every day…mostly because of that stupid shrew. But even so, I shouldn’t have done it.”  
“Well ya did, and now you’re gonna pay for it! You’re dealing with two of the Nocturne Knights’ underbosses here!”   
“You’re one of the underbosses, Cain?” I asked.   
“Yeah, I was promoted when dear ol’ dad kicked the bucket. And now I can use my particular skills to their full extent.” he held out his custom-made Taser.  
“You’re talking about your crazy inventions and smelly concoctions?”  
“They ain’t crazy, Wilde! They’re quite useful. Here, let me show you.” he pulled out what looked like a grenade. He popped the top and threw it on the ground. It bounced like a rubber ball and came right between me and Carrots.   
We both dove out of the way and the bomb went off. Luckily, it was just a smoke bomb. The smoke quickly filled the alley.   
“See ya later, Wilde!” yelled Cain as he and Allister made a run for it.   
“We…need to go…after…them!” said Hopps between coughs.   
We both got up and pursued them. I stopped when we reached the end of the alley, I caught a whiff of something.   
“Nick, why did you stop? They’re getting away!” said Hopps.   
“I smell something…something familiar. Do you smell that, Carrots?”  
She smelled the air. “You mean the smoke? Or the skunk?”  
“No, it’s not that. It kind smells like…apples.”  
“Well there are probably apples in the dumpster over there. We need to go get the bad guys!”   
“I don’t think…eh I guess I’m just overthinking it.”  
I could have sworn I smelled Aurora’s perfume… I thought as we came to the main road.  
“Did you see where they went?” I asked.   
She looked around. “No, but they couldn’t have gone far. There are police everywhere.”  
“Looks like they finally arrived, took ‘em long enough. Clawhauser must have delivered the message.” I said.  
“What I don’t get is why two higher-ups of the Nocturne Knights would come out in the open to steal the Arctic Diamond like this, wouldn’t that risk exposure? Talk about risky. Why not send their lackeys to do it?”  
“That’s a good point, the management is usually much more behind-the-scenes. They must be planning something big, I don’t think this is just about some diamond, Carrots.”  
“I was thinking the same thing. The diamond may just be phase one of their plan. We won’t find out until we catch them…wait! I see them!” she said.   
I looked around. “Where?”  
She pointed across the street, at the Bearing Brother’s stock exchange building. They were climbing the emergency stairs on the side of the building.  
“Looks like they are heading up to the roof!” she said.   
We ran across the street and hopped the fence to get into the side of the building, and we began to climb the stairs.   
Cain and Allister had already gotten to the roof.   
“They must have a helicopter picking them up!” I yelled up to Hopps, who was leaping up the stairs like a madwoman.   
“I got em!” she said.   
“Carrots, wait for me. You don’t know what to expect up there!”  
She had already hopped onto the roof. I scaled the stairs as fast as I could and rolled onto the roof.   
Hopps was already fighting Cain. He was trying to shock her with his homemade Taser, but she was way too fast for him. She rabbit-kicked him in the face and he fell to the ground.   
He pulled a nightstick off of his belt and hit the back of her legs, knocking her down.   
“Carrots!” I yelled. I started to run to her aid, but I was shoved back by Allister.   
“Not today, fox.” he said.   
Hopps jumped right back up. “Don’t worry, I can handle bald-butt here. You take care of the leopard!”   
“Why you little…” said Cain as he tried to hit her again with the nightstick. She ninja-flipped out of the way with graceful precision.   
“Okay, give him Heck Hopps!” I said.  
I focused my attention on the leopard-lummox. He tried to punch me, but I rolled underneath him and tripped him. He grabbed my leg.  
“Let go of me!” I yelled. Then he opened his mouth wide and bit me on the leg!  
“Ouch! Hey, no biting, this isn’t preschool or the stone-age!”  
“Get over it, fox. You’re dealing with the Nocturne Knights, there are no fair fights!” he grabbed me and threw me across the roof. I almost got thrown off but I managed to grab onto the edge and pull myself up.   
I got up. “Boy you’re strong, I’ll give ya that. But strong only goes so far when you’re stupid.”  
“I’m not stupid, fox. You’re stupid!”  
“Well that has to be the best comeback I’ve heard in a while.” I said sarcastically.   
I could hear the distant humming of a helicopter propeller. I tackled Allister to the ground and grabbed for the handcuffs in my back pocket. “Hurry up, Carrots. Their getaway copter is coming!”   
I looked over and she had Cain in a chokehold, wrestling him to the ground. What a tough little bunny!  
I took the handcuffs and began to put them around Allister’s wrist. “You have the right to remain silent, anything you-“ he threw me off of him in a blind rage before I could lock them.  
“You’re not getting me today, fox cop!” he said.   
He ran over to Hopps just as she was about to cuff Cain. He picked her up and tossed her like she was some cheap toy. I ran as fast as I could and caught her before she hit the ground.   
“Thanks, Nick.” she said.   
The helicopter arrived, it was hovering right above us. They threw down a ladder, and Cain and Allister began to climb it. The helicopter began to ascend.   
“We can’t let them leave with the diamond!” said Hopps.   
I ran toward the helicopter and leapt into the air. I caught onto the ladder and began climbing it. I reached for the satchel around Allister’s shoulder that he put the diamond it and held on tight. “Hey, let go fox!” Allister yelled, trying to get me off.   
“Ain’t happening, spot!” I said.  
Cain popped his head out of the helicopter. “You got a choice, Wilde. Try to fight us, or try to save the bunny.”  
“What are you talking about?” I yelled.   
Cain took a dart gun out and aimed it at Hopps. He took a shot, and I heard her scream. I looked down, Hopps was hit. “Carrots!” I yelled.  
“That dart contains an extremely deadly toxin of my own design, it’s a nasty piece of work too. One of my best concoctions.” he cackled.   
I immediately let go of the satchel and jumped back down onto the roof. I ran to Hopps and she pulled dart out of her shoulder. She began swaying, she could hardly stand. She collapsed in my arms.   
“Carrots!”  
“Nick. I’m sorry, I messed up the mission.” she said quietly.   
“Don’t be stupid, you didn’t ruin anything.”  
“I need…I need to tell you something.” she was struggling to speak.  
“What is it?” I asked, trying my hardest not to panic.   
She put her hand on my cheek. “I…I always wanted to tell you that…” tears began to form in her eyes. “I..l-ove.” I felt her body go limp.  
“C-Carrots?”  
She didn’t answer.   
“Carrots! No, no, no! Don’t do this, Carrots. I need you!”  
I shook her. I could feel the tears coming, I couldn’t hold them in.   
“Oh God, please, no. Carrots…Hopps…JUDY!”


	9. If I lost you...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick doesn't know what to do, he's on top of a high building with the love of his life dying in his arms.

Chapter 9: If I lose you…  
-Told by Nick-  
I didn’t know what to do, I was on the roof of a tall building and the bunny that I love was unconscious in my hands. I couldn’t go down the emergency stairs, they were too steep and I could drop her. I couldn’t call anyone because I left my phone in the car, and Carrots left my pager at the museum. My only hope was the roof door that led into the building. I carefully placed her down and ran to the door.   
“Oh, please be unlocked…” I said as I turned the doorknob. It was a miracle from on High, the door was unlocked!  
I went back to Judy and picked her up. I ran down the stairs to the top floor of the building, rushed to the elevator and hit the down button. The elevator was taking too long. I kept hitting the button in a panic. It said it was still on the lobby floor.   
“Forget it!” I yelled. I started running down the stairs with Hopps in my hands. I ran as fast as I could. My leg hurt from the bite from Allister, but I couldn’t let that stop me. I had to focus, I had to get Carrots to the hospital before it was too late. Cain was a slimy jerk, but he was a genius at chemical and mechanical engineering. I knew whatever he shot into her, it wasn’t good.   
I finally made it to the main floor. I kicked open the door that led into the lobby. “Somebody help, please!” I yelled.   
There were only a few animals left in the building, it was almost time for them to close. I was getting several unnerving stares. Most of the animals there were rabbits themselves. I saw one of them call 911. “Hello, police? There’s a fox here who has a rabbit in his hands, she’s not moving. Get over here quick, he may start attacking.”  
“Attacking? Sir, I’m a police officer. I’m officer Nickolas Wilde, and this is my…she’s my partner. She’s been hurt, she needs to go to the hospital.”  
“Let me see your badge then, officer.” said the rabbit.   
“I don’t…have it. I left it in my uniform which is back at my place.”

“Right…we’ll get this sorted out when the real cops get here.” The rabbit slowly walked up to me. “Now give me the rabbit nice and slow.”  
“Back off, bunns!” I snapped.   
Startled, he took a step back.  
There were police lights out front, and officer Wolford walked in.   
“Wolford!” I yelled as I ran up to him.  
“Wilde? What happened, I thought you were supposed to be on parking duty tonight?”  
“Never mind that, I need you to take me and Carrots to the hospital, she’s been injured!”  
He gave me a confused look.  
“Come on, Wolford!” I yelled as I ran outside.   
He quickly followed after me. When we got outside, he opened the passenger side door. I got it and held on to Judy as tightly as I could. Wolford climbed in to the driver’s seat and turned on the car. He blared the sirens and zoomed out toward the Mount Camel Emergency Medical Center.  
She didn’t so much as move, her heartbeat was soft and feeble, and she felt cold, but she was alive.   
Why couldn’t it have been me? I thought. Nobody would miss a fox like me, people only started to trust me because of Carrots. The world needs someone like her, to make it a better place and…I know I won’t be able to go on without her.   
“So what happened, Wilde?” asked Wolfram.   
I didn’t answer, I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare. I wanted to wake up in a world where Hopps was fine, where we were just working a normal case, where we were happy.   
“Wilde?” he asked.   
“Shut up and drive!” I yelled.   
He directed his attention toward the road, we rode in silence the rest of the way. I knew he was just trying to help, but I really didn’t care. All I cared about was getting Hopps to the hospital.  
We arrived at the emergency room about twenty-five minutes after she was shot. I got out of the car and ran into the emergency room.   
“Please…help her!” I screamed in a panic.   
Everyone was staring at me. A zebra nurse from behind the counter calmly walked over to me. “Sir, please remain calm and tell me what happened?”   
They’re so calm, why are they so calm? Can’t they see that my love was dying…can’t they see that my entire world was ending?  
“You gotta help her. She… she was shot with something. He shot her and she went down.”  
Another zebra nurse picked up the phone. “We have a code 357, bunny down. Repeat, we have a bunny down.”  
“Sir, we have the doctors on their way.”  
“Tell them to hurry!”   
A team of medics rushed in with a rabbit-sized gurney. A pig medic took her out of my arms. I really didn’t want to give her up, but I knew I had to.   
A kangaroo doctor came leaping into the waiting room. She took one look at Hopps. “Get her into ICU, hurry.”   
They started rolling her trough two giant twin doors. I followed them, but was stopped by the kangaroo. “I’m sorry, you can’t come back right now.”  
“What are you talking about!? I need to see if she’s gonna be okay.”  
She glared at me. “Sir, you’re obviously not kin to the patient, so you can’t come back here. I will come get you after I take a look at her condition and run some tests.”  
“But…she.”  
“I’m not going to ask you again, sir. If you want to help, tell me what happened.”  
“We’re police officers, she’s my partner. We were staking out the Arctic Diamond ball at the Zootopia art museum. Two thieves stole the diamond and we chased after them. One of them…he shot her. That horrid skunk shot her with a dart.”  
She raised her eyebrow. “A…dart?”  
“Yes, a dart. He said it had some sort of toxin in it, and that he made it himself.” I began to tear up. It all hit me at once. I fell to my knees and started to cry. “Please, please save her. You have to.”  
She touched my shoulder. “I promise you that I will do what I can. Now please, take a seat in the waiting room.”  
I got up and nodded. I walked over to an empty seat in the far corner of the room. I sat in the fetal position to try to calm myself down. My whole body was shaking, my heart hurt. I didn’t know what was going to happen to my Carrots. All I could do was pray that she was going to be okay.  
I’ll do anything if it means that she’ll be okay. I’ll even give up blueberries for a whole year, make it two. I’ll stop calling her cute…I know how much she hates it. I’ll stop making fun of the chief. Anything it takes. Please, just bring her back to me…let her be okay.  
Wolfram sat next to me. “So how is she, Wilde?”  
“I don’t know. They’re gonna run some tests.”  
“Poor bunny.” he whispered.   
“I’ll get him… I swear I’ll get that bald skunk for this! He’s gonna pay!”

Several hours passed with no word of Judy’s condition. Wolfram had left to help the others at the museum. I was alone with my torturous thoughts.   
“Excuse me?” a voice said.   
I looked up and it was the kangaroo doctor. I quickly got up from my seat. “How is she, doc? Is she going to be okay?”  
She had a somber look on her face. “I’m going to be honest with you. She is still unresponsive, but the good news is that she has a stable heartbeat and she is breathing on her own for the moment.”  
“Do you think she’ll pull through?” I asked.  
“I’m afraid only time will tell. I do have another piece of good news. We ran a toxicology screen, and the primary toxin that was used in the cocktail is a compound called Karottotoxin. The toxin itself is produced by a bacterium that can sometimes grow on improperly stored carrots. Rabbits are one of the few animals that can resist this dangerous toxin.”  
“So that means she’ll be alright?” I asked, hoping and praying for a simple yes she will.   
“I really do not want to give you false hope. There were at least three other toxins in a much smaller concentration that we found in her system, and those could very well cause irreversible damage to her body. Honestly, she’s pretty far from alright. I’ve seen animals in much better condition that we’ve lost when they’ve had just one of these toxins in their body, let alone three or four. But she may surprise us, I’ve also seen animals survive worse.”  
I looked at the floor, my heart started to ache again.   
“Do you want to see her? Clearly you two are close, so I can make an exception to the rule.”  
“I would, Dr, I really would.” I said.   
She held out her hand. “I’m Dr. Leeps.”  
I shook her hand. “Officer Nick Wilde.”  
“If you would follow me.”  
I followed her down the hall and into a room. I saw my sweet, sweet Carrots there on the bed, she just looked like she was asleep.   
“I’ll be down the hall if you need me. I’ll leave you two alone.” said Dr. Leeps.   
“Thank you, Doc.” I said.   
She nodded and left the room.   
I walked over to her bed and stroked her cheek. “Oh, Carrots…”   
I reached out and held her adorable little hand.  
I felt a wave of emotion crashing inside of me, and I collapsed on the side of the bed. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I started weeping, I couldn’t stop. I just held onto her hand while I was on my knees on the floor. “Please, Carrots…please come back to me. I need you. You gotta fight, fight with everything you have in you. You’ve got your whole life to live. Don’t let this be the thing that knocks you down.”   
I sat there holding her hand for who knows how long. I sat there regretting so much. I never told her how I felt, if only I told her how much I love her.   
If I lose you…I will lose myself. You make me strong, Carrots. You helped me become the fox that dared to be brave, loyal, helpful and trustworthy. It was you, you sly bunny. I can’t lose you…


End file.
